Cross of the Divide
by MegaDefinition
Summary: Mary Runner believed herself to be an average teenager with the average life. However, the discovery of an Autobot disguised as her car shatters what she once thought she knew. Old enemies become new allies, with sudden enemies and unexpected surprises as each day goes by. But who would have thought that the creators of Cybertron would have to play a part in the upcoming battle?
1. Chapter 1

In the years before the Allspark was smuggled to Earth, during the Great War, something else crash-landed on the planet. Something that the Transformers – both Autobot and Decepticon – were never expecting to find. 1,621 miles away from where the Autobots would later hide the Allspark, something else crashed on Earth. An egg, a massive egg with pulsating green veins on the outside, had crashed on Earth, in the area soon to be known as Michigan after the formation and discovery of the Great Lakes. Within this egg were two small bodies, two small, unmoving bodies. These two bodies had yet to become actual Transformers, had yet to discover just what signs they had developed, had yet to discover just what side they were on. But for the time being, they remained within the protective shell, waiting for the ones who would find them and release them. This, however, wouldn't come until eight years after the Allspark was destroyed, three years after the Battle of Chicago, and one year after the humans' sudden attempt at extinction.

When the egg _was _discovered, the humans quickly built a structure around it, making an attempt to hide it from future prying eyes. But you can't hide stuff forever. Sooner or later – the damage is done...

* * *

Fast-forward to present day, second week in the month of June in the year 2015. In the dense corners of space, the pearly gray, cratered moon turned away from the Earth still as slow as ever. Yet on it, within a massive crater, a shape stirred from his rest. It had been a long journey for him, having come all the way from a nearly devastated homeworld back to the very planet that had tried to kill him, but he knew that it was necessary. The rest were there, on Earth's surface, hiding in the United States. The rest had to be found before they were all brutally executed.

"I must land soon," he stated, standing straight upwards and looking down at the Earth. "I fear for the safety of my comrades, what with the threat of Unicron on that planet. And yet... this is the very planet that once tried to kill me." He sighed. "I must remember that although Lockdown may be dead, Megatron kept coming back, though I do not know why. It is possible that Lockdown could also return, though it is very unlikely. But I have to go back. They need me down there."

He sent out a signal to the planet, to some very specific coordinates, and spoke once again. "Calling all Autobots! I have returned. I am waiting up on the moon, waiting for just the right minute to land. I will contact you again when I have the drop zone. For now, I will say that it will be close around the Great Lakes. My arrival is imminent."

He signed off, gazing at the planet's surface. "I have returned," he said. "Let the humans attempt their rules over us once again. They will pay the price if they try."

* * *

In Ada, Michigan, a young girl had just finished watching a movie at the local theater. The girl had dark blonde hair, green eyes and glasses, and currently wore a red Nike shirt, size 10 jeans, and a pair of black Nike tennis shoes. In her arms was a dark blue sweatshirt.

She stopped just outside the box and put her pair of 3D glasses into the recycle bin.

"Did you like the movie?" the attendant asked.

"Depends, really. There wasn't really a plot, just mindless action. In other words, there wasn't any meat on the bone," the girl responded. "But thanks for asking anyway."

With that, she exited the theater and headed straight towards her Toyota 4Runner. Something, however, caught her eye as she drew closer to it. Someone was looking at the side of the vehicle, as if they were examining it. A puzzled look came over her face, and she walked quickly to the vehicle and up behind the person studying it.

"Can I help you?" she asked, causing the person to jump.

The person whipped around, looking straight at her. He had white skin, blackish eyes, and black hair on his head and chin. He was also sweating in the morning sun, seeing as he had a jacket on beneath his white t-shirt. "Oh, no, thanks," he said quickly – a little too quickly. He paused, and said, "Look, I am sorry about this. But I'm just interested in your car, that's all."

"Do you not have one?" the girl asked.

"No, I have one, I just wondered what sort of model this one was," the man said. "What's your name, kid?"

"I'm Mary, Mary Runner," the girl said. "And you?"

"Yeager, Cade Yeager," the man said, sticking out his hand.

Mary gladly shook it. "In answer to your question, the model of car is a 2014 Toyota 4Runner. It used to be my dad's, but it's mine now."

"Cool, cool," Cade said, looking back at the car. "Seems like you move around pretty well."

"I am a local girl, so I do move around pretty well," Mary said, slightly offended.

"Seeing as you know your way around, do you know where the nearest highway is?" Cade asked hurriedly. "I've been searching like mad for one, and I can't seem to find one."

Mary nodded. "The road just over there is the East Beltline. Take a right down there, and soon you'll start to cross over a bridge. Before the bridge will be a sign stating 'I-96', the name of it; the highway on ramp is on the right. Don't be surprised if you miss it the first time; I've done that once or twice myself."

Cade turned and began walking towards his own car, a black-and-blue Bugatti Veyron. "Thanks a lot!" he called, turning around and waving goodbye.

"Hope you find where you're going!" Mary responded, returning the gesture and climbing into the driver's seat.

But the moment she closed the door she spoke to herself, her suspicions closing in. "That Cade guy wasn't wondering what sort of brand my car was," she said, tapping the steering wheel. "He was looking at the door, not the back. The _back's_ where the brand name is. So why was he looking at the _door_?"

She waited until the Bugatti Veyron had driven out of sight; then she climbed back out of the car and went around to where he had been looking. "Odd," she remarked. "He's covered that with tape. Wonder why..."

Kneeling on the ground, the girl reached towards a small section that had been covered in duct tape. Grabbing a corner, she attempted to pull it away – and succeeded. Beneath that tape was a silver symbol – the Autobot symbol. But Mary didn't realize this. The only thing that she did realize was that it looked strangely familiar – she didn't know why, only that it did.

Shrugging, she climbed back into the driver's seat, started the car, and pulled out of the parking lot. A car was a car after all.

Within minutes after pulling out of that parking lot she heard the Bluetooth buzz. "Oh great. Just great," she groaned. "I'll have to pull in again. Can't drive while on the phone – that's distracted driving."

She steered into another parking lot, parked the car, and answered the call. An unfamiliar voice was on the other end. "Calling all Autobots! Harbor Springs, Michigan is the drop zone. All Autobots be there by five sharp – may drop earlier. Calling all Autobots!" The message ended there.

Mary turned off Bluetooth temporarily, her face a mass of confusion. Then it hit her. "Wait just a stinkin' minute here..." she muttered, hopping out of the car and taking another look at the symbol on the door. Now she made the connection: the car she was driving was an Autobot – probably the Autobot that was mentioned in the call. She stood up, looking directly at the car. "You may have fooled everyone else, but you're not fooling me," she said firmly. "Come on – reveal yourself."

A moment after this was spoken the voice of the Autobot was suddenly heard. "Don't – say – a word," the Autobot stated, speaking softly. "The government has resumed their search for us. Back inside. Then we can talk."

The girl obliged, being careful not to act suspiciously. The moment the door was shut the Autobot spoke up.

"So. You know about my secret," the Autobot stated, using Bluetooth to talk. "Apparently your being local hasn't stopped you from discovering the truth. What raised your suspicions?"

"I was looking at the way that man was hanging around the car. His story didn't make sense either. If you're looking for the car name, it's on the back, not on the door," Mary responded. "What's all this about Harbor Springs?"

"Look, regarding that call hailing all the Autobots. I'm supposed to head up to this Harbor Springs area by five sharp. The problem is, I don't know where that location is. And if I go on my own, I'm going to be caught," the Autobot explained. "I overheard you say you're a local girl. Do you know where Harbor Springs is?"

Mary nodded. "I was on vacation there last year. I can show you the way; I haven't forgotten it."

"You can do more than that – you can come with me on the way up," the Autobot said. "The others won't mind. They will probably hail those on the way to the place, asking for directions. I just need you to tell me where to go."

With that, the car started, and pulled onto the highway. "Just stay on here?"

"Up until the exit for 131; when you spot the sign, there will be two exits; take the first one, which goes northbound. Then all you need to do is just stay on that road," Mary said. "That highway takes you all the way to Petoskey; when we reach Petoskey I'll give you directions from there."

"Thank you, ma'am," the Autobot stated. "Tell me, what's your identification?" When Mary didn't answer right away, he rephrased his question. "I meant your name. What's your name?"

"Mary Runner. What's yours?" The girl replied.

"I go by Jigsaw, mainly because I have the form of a jigsaw piece on my chin," the Autobot said. "Call it a battle scar if you will. Received it from a nasty piece of work – Decepticon calling himself Diehard. Primus knows that his brother unleashed such a powerful enemy upon us."

Neither said anything for the rest of the four-hour trip up. But as they journeyed towards Harbor Springs, they noticed that behind them trailed a few other autonomous robotic organisms: the same black-and-blue Bugatti Veyron, a green Corvette – which had a little Autobot in the backseat disguised as a sound system, a yellow Chevy Camaro, and a black Ford Falcon, and high above them was a fighter jet. All of these, except for the fighter jet, were Autobots. The fighter jet was the Decepticon leader Megatron, who hoped to go along and greet those coming on good terms. He didn't want to be on any bad relations with his old enemy; frankly, he hated what the humans had manipulated him into doing, seeing as they had turned him into Galvatron and made him attempt to destroy his kind in the name of the company KSI. Today, he would stand for it no longer; today, he would go greet the enemy as a comrade of their own.


	2. Chapter 2

It was close to four o'clock when they arrived at Petoskey. "Okay, this is Petoskey, kid. Where to next?" Jigsaw asked.

"First stoplight, take a right," Mary responded. "How long have you been down here?"

"Me? I've been here ever since the war over the Allspark. But I never took part in the fight. I was ordered by my leader to search for something else, not to help out in the fight, and once I found it, I had to guard over it. I didn't find what I was looking for until my alternate form came into the possession of your father. That's when I discovered it, and when I turned over into your possession, I knew that sooner or later you'd discover who I really was," Jigsaw explained. "Not your father. Your father was an imbecile, and for that I am thankful. You're not... and I guess I'm thankful for that too. But I digress."

"And who are these cars following us?" Mary asked, looking out the back. "They've been behind us for several hours now."

"My comrades, most likely. I did mention that they might come into contact with me on directions up," Jigsaw said. "However, I wasn't expecting Megatron to just show up – he's the fighter jet flying above us as I speak. Let's just say he better have a good reason for coming up here alongside us."

They drove on for a few minutes more before Jigsaw suddenly pulled off the main drag. "Picked up a signal," he said. "He's coming sooner than we thought, landing in the woods a few miles outside of Harbor Springs. Hold tight; it's going to be a bumpy ride!"

It was a bumpy ride, going over a few rocks as they drove. Behind them were the four cars, ever-following them, and above them – the fighter jet.

"This is the place!" Jigsaw said triumphantly, pulling into a clearing. "This is definitely the place! Climb out, kid!"

The clearing was circular, just on the edge of a small beach leading out to Lake Michigan. Surrounding that clearing were evergreen trees, still brightly green as they ever were as the sun shined down on them. Just across from the Toyota 4Runner were the Bugatti, the Corvette with the sound system, the Falcon, and the Camaro. Quickly, Mary sprang out of the driver's seat, watching as the drivers in the Bugatti Veyron did so as well. To their shock, they recognized her just as she recognized them.

"What on Earth are you doing here?" Cade Yeager said, shock rippling through his voice.

"I was about to ask you the same question," Mary responded. "Let's just say I had a hunch. You don't look at the door to find the car brand. It's located on the trunk."

Cade slapped his forehead. "Called my bluff, didn't you?" he said. "Dammit! I forgot it was on the trunk, not the door!"

"Um, dad, aren't you going to introduce me?" the girl who also climbed out asked.

Cade nodded. Gesturing to the girl beside him, he added, "This is my daughter, Tessa. Tessa – Mary Runner."

"Pleasure," the blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl said, shaking Mary's hand. "Pfft! You look like an adult! How old are you?"

"I'm currently a junior in high school," Mary said. "I just finished my sophomore year a couple of weeks ago, and I was up here last year on vacation; I haven't forgotten the way. And yourself?"

"I'm wrapping up my freshman year in college," Tessa said smarmily. "I should feel so proud to meet someone much younger than myself up here in this godforsaken wilderness."

A perplexed look came over Mary's face as she heard this. Tessa Yeager didn't sound so nice...

A noise behind them caused the three to turn around. Jigsaw had transformed, and was now standing over them, just short of the treetops. The other Autobots followed suite, and before long, the lot of them were talking amongst themselves.

"Enough of the chitchat, you two; there's more than just you. Say - how you guys been? It's been a bolt of a long time since I saw you last – 1999, I think," Jigsaw inquired, gesturing to his fellow Autobots. "You look well Drift, almost like a real samurai."

"Thank you. It is my goal," the black and blue Autobot said, brushing a bit of dust off his arm. "What about you, Brains, Crosshairs? I haven't seen you guys in a while."

"Well, let's just say we're trying to keep a low profile," the tall green Autobot responded, allowing the smaller one that was the sound system to jump down off his shoulder. "What with KSI wanting to take Brains back in again; reckon they want to make another Galvatron, mates? What's your opinion, Bumblebee, Wrecker?"

The solid black Autobot gazed at the ground and huffed. "With that demagogue they have as CEO I wouldn't be surprised if they _did_ go all-out and make another Galvatron – which is the _last_ thing we need right now! And you, Bee?"

The yellow Autobot shrugged. "Who knows? We'll see, though; the last time we had a human attempt to become one of us all hell broke loose. We should consider ourselves lucky that we weren't blamed for _more_ human deaths! But my main question is what's Megatron doing here? Last time we knew of him he was Galvatron. What's he doing here now?"

"I know, right? I saw him up above us too," the smaller Autobot stated. Brains was around three feet high, just underneath a human's hip. "HEY MEGATRON! COME DOWN HERE! WE KNOW YOU FOLLOWED US, SO SHOW YOURSELF!" he yelled, stretching his neck towards the sky.

A moment later, something fell out of the sky so fast it made everyone jump. Before them was a lean, mean Decepticon, his eyes a piercing orange. "I know what you're thinking," Megatron said, standing up from his kneeling position and walking over towards the edge by the water. "You're all wondering why I am here." Looking back towards them, he asked, "Do you think I took any pleasure in being Galvatron? I was no more than an experiment by KSI and that Joyce idiot, made to do what he ordered, when he ordered it. I didn't like being the way I was. Sure I was powerful, but for a price. Remember how they took you to make me into Galvatron, Brains?"

Brains nodded. "I should consider myself lucky I was broken out! A few more days and I might have gone absolutely crazy from that Joshua Joyce person asking me all those questions! I will never understand the way those humans think! Never! All they want is for their own gain, their own profit! It's – it's _insanity!_"

"When the one you knew as Galvatron was executed," Megatron said, gesturing with his human-like hands, "I wrestled out of that terrifying shell and fixed it for my own gain. I turned it into a shadow of what it was, recovering a spark and encrusting that while removing the multiple shape-shifting abilities it contained. Upon completion of this new form I sent a message to KSI to _leave me the hell alone_. I have had _enough_ of being a mere pawn – and not just for those pathetic fleshlings, but for my own kind as well. All I am here to do is to join your side as a comrade of your crew."

"What about the Decepticons? Have they agreed to this?" Cade asked, a little impudent with Megatron's sudden arrival.

"They are no longer under my control," the Decepticon responded simply. "I no longer lead them. Someone else does now. Who – I do not know; my suspicions tell me it is Unicron who leads them. But I refuse to allow the fleshlings to rebuild me for their own gain and profits. We will have to team up if our survival remains possible."

"We can discuss it when he lands," Crosshairs suggested.

They stood around, discussing where they had previously been for a few long minutes. Then Bumblebee looked up.

"Here he comes!" he said, pointing towards the sky. "Back up, you guys!"

Cade and Tessa quickly went and stood at Drift's side, while Mary returned to Jigsaw's side. Within moments of their doing so one more shape dropped out of the sky, plunging towards the Earth, plunging towards their exact location. Seconds flew through the air like rain falls on a windshield. Time seemed to slow down as the shape dropped from the sky...

The Autobot hit the ground confidently and triumphantly, slowly rising from his kneeled positions until he stood up tall as the clear blue sky above. His return had been successful.

"Welcome back!" Brains cheered, clapping. The Autobot who had landed was two heads' taller than the rest of the Autobots, about Megatron's height. His armor was blue with red flames upon it, and he looked confident and courageous as he gazed around at the Autobots before him.

"Welcome back, Optimus," Drift said. "We've been waiting."

"Good to hear," Optimus Prime stated. "Where's Hound?"

"Aah, repair shop," Jigsaw said. "Local one in my area. Don't panic, though! - The mechanic's sworn to secrecy."

"Is Mentor there as well?"

"Yes, he went to the same guy," Jigsaw said. "But for a different reason – something to do with his transforming... Neither of them told me why they needed repairs. I'm sure they'll tell us when they join us."

Optimus nodded. "It appears you are away from your search. Any luck?"

"I've actually found it," Jigsaw said. "I've been guarding it for the past nine months; when I received your message I had to leave my post. Don't worry, though – it's extremely secure. The enemy doesn't know where it is."

"Oh – Megatron's here," Bumblebee said. "He has something you need to hear."

Optimus followed his gaze, landing on the Decepticon leader. "Why have you come here? It was my belief that we were enemies the last time we crossed paths."

Megatron was quick to explain. "Optimus, I don't come here to reveal myself as a foe. I have come to the realization that if we are to survive then we must team up. I regret what the fleshlings have done to me, and I will say that I did mind it, but I come here today to greet you as a comrade in arms. Let them try to steal freedom from me."

"So you have, and so you shall be," Crosshairs said. "Thank heavens there is one more ally alongside us." Then he spotted Mary. "Correction: thank heavens there are _two_ more allies alongside us."

Optimus followed Crosshairs' gaze, and the moment he saw the teenage girl standing a little ways away from Jigsaw, he knelt down on one knee. "And who might you be?" he asked calmly. His voice was gentle, signaling that he wasn't of any danger to her.

"Mary Runner," Mary answered.

"I take it you did not know about Jigsaw being among you?" Optimus asked. When she nodded he stood back up. "Jigsaw, how did you come across this teenager?"

"Her father bought my alternate form a year ago," Jigsaw said. "He recently gave it to her; this morning she found out who I was. From my location it was a long trip up, but it was worth it."

"Worth it?" Brains said, confused. "What do you mean?"

"This kid's been in this state all her life, just up here last year," Jigsaw said. "She was able to give me directions. And it is a long trip if you're coming from Grand Rapids."

Puzzled looks broke out on the Autobots' faces. "Grand Rapids?" Wrecker asked.

"Where the hell's that?" Cade added.

"We were just outside of it; if you had gone left instead of going right on I-96, you'd have been going there," Jigsaw said. "It's very secluded; the government leaves it well alone. And with all the school districts that are just outside of the city, it makes a good hiding place."

"What makes you say that?" Crosshairs asked.

"I don't have an answer; I've never been to a school in the area. The father only used me traveling to and from where he worked – which was kinda stupid, because I couldn't leave or he'd notice," Jigsaw admitted. "Do you, Mary?"

The junior nodded. "Over in my high school's parking lot, there are a ton of sports cars. Mustangs, Bugattis, Camaros, a few Ferraris, one or two Corvettes – you'll blend right in!"

"Awesome!" Cade said, suddenly in awe. "That's just plain awesome!"

A smile broke out on Optimus' face. "That is great news," he said. "I suggest we head south and hide out at Grand Rapids. Sound like a plan?"

When everyone nodded, Megatron said, "I hope to be of use in scouting out possible threats in times of peril."

"Believe us, Megatron, you've found a place among us for right now," Tessa said. "But remember that one false move will send you out; and I think I know why I say that. I've been told how you've attempted and once succeeded to kill Optimus."

"Don't act so rash, Tessa," Cade suggested. "That's in the past!"

"Well, just what makes you say that?" Tessa asked, her blue eyes turning on her father.

"What do you think? Just because he's an enemy doesn't mean he doesn't deserve a chance," Mary said suddenly. "In this case, Megatron's a rival, but then again Darth Vader was evil for four out of the six Star Wars movies, and he turned over a new leaf in the sixth. I think Megatron's turned over a new leaf. Let's at least give him a chance."

"I agree with her, Tess," Cade said. "We should in the very least give him a chance. It wasn't his fault KSI turned him into a slave."

"You want to give him a chance, you can, you punk," Tessa said, turning away from her. "Come on, dad. I don't want you turning into the kind of girl that local kid is."

Across the clearing, Drift and Jigsaw swallowed uneasily. Something was obviously brewing between the two females.

"The sooner we make our start back, the better off we'll be," Crosshairs suggested, breaking the tension a little bit. "It took four hours to come up here, so it might be a good idea to go while it's still light out. I recall Hound telling us he'd hopefully be downtown by then."

"Okay then," Cade said. "I say we roll, before anybody knows we're here!"

As the Autobots transformed back into their alternates and left the clearing, Drift beckoned for the Yeagers to go with Bumblebee; he then stopped Optimus. "I've a strong suspicion that a following day those two are most likely to battle with each other," he said. "It's almost unnerving."

"We shall see, Drift," Optimus stated. "If it goes from the calm to the storm, then I suggest we take the human Jigsaw has brought along beneath our wing of protection."

"What about Cade? Should we be worried about him?" Drift asked.

"Do not worry about him; I believe there will be no problem between the two of them - for the time being," Optimus answered. "But Drift - do not breathe a word of this conversation to anyone else. Suspicions are rising, though I do not know why."


	3. Chapter 3

Within an hour of driving down the road, Jigsaw suddenly made a U-turn and headed back towards Petoskey.

"Jigsaw, might I ask where you are going?" Drift asked.

"The alternate's low on gas – quarter of a tank," Jigsaw responded. "It needs a refill, and I can't work the pump on my own. If I did, crap would go down, and I'd probably be dead within minutes."

Cade saw Mary sitting in the driver's seat and rolled down the window of the Camaro. "Hey – is he speaking the truth?" he asked. "Is he being honest?"

"Yeah, he is – unfortunately. The gage is on the front of the dash, and it's hovering at a quarter of a tank," Mary groaned. "And if this thing needs a fill-up, and if he can't fill it on his own, you know what that means..."

"Isn't there a gas pump nearby?" Tessa argued.

"Not until we reach the highway's first exit – which is another long hour, kiddo," Cade said. "So they have no choice but to go back."

As the Toyota drove away, Jigsaw called back, "Look, just go on without us; we'll join you tomorrow morning. Mind you, it'll be overnight before you see us again!"

The moment the two were out of sight, Tessa grumbled, "Ruddy teenagers."

"What makes you say that?" Cade asked, turning around to face his daughter. "She's not so bad. She was helpful in the very least!"

"I don't care about that; she's a useless little punk who wants to show off," Tessa said. "How should we know she's not interested in taking over the Autobots? For all we know she could be an asset of KSI designing new freakazoid cars that look like these guys! How do we know she's not capturing these freakazoids and taking them for herself!?"

_"HEY!"_ Bumblebee cried suddenly, making them jump. "Do you _mind?_ We can _hear_ that, you know! If you're going to call us names then you can _walk_ home, dammit!"

"Sorry, sorry," Tessa muttered. "Point is," she continued, "I don't like her. She's competition, that's what she is."

"I've had this discussion with you before, Tessa," Cade said earnestly. "She's not competition; she's a perfectly fine person who knows her way around an unfamiliar place - that is, to you and me."

Before Tessa could answer Bumblebee spoke up again. "Your father's right, you know," he said. "Jigsaw told me that the human he was hiding with was extremely helpful in giving him directions up here. She knows her way around this state; that could work to our advantage if the Decepticons should come to play."

"How would you know that?" Tessa challenged. "You're a machine, not a human!"

"How would I know that? _How would I know that?!_" Bumblebee cried. "Tessa – I've _seen_ it before! _THAT'S_ how I know! Now shut up before I make you walk!"

There was no conversation between them for the next four hours.

* * *

An hour after turning back, the Toyota pulled into a gas station on the outskirts of Petoskey. Moving rapidly, the teenager scrambled out and filled the tank, muttering bluntly to herself.

"You know," she commented, turning to look at the gas meter, "if it weren't for the fact that Cade asked me directions, I doubt any of this would have happened."

"True, true," Jigsaw said. "Hang on... did I just – I did! I don't believe it! _I don't believe it!_"

"Believe what?" Mary asked, removing the gas pump.

"That – that silver F-150 over there," Jigsaw said, shock in his voice. "The one that just went through that stoplight – that's _Diehard_! Last time I saw him he had given me this battle scar! What's _he_ doing here in Petoskey?!"

The girl looked towards the nearest stoplight, spotting a silver Ford F-150 driving down the lane. "You say that's a Decepticon?" she asked.

"I'm sure of it!" Jigsaw replied. "That's Diehard! Of course the form changed, but that's _still_ Diehard!"

A concerned look came over Mary's face. "If that's the same guy who gave you that scar, and he's acting suspiciously, then he deserves to be followed!" she said. "Let's move!"

Driving a few miles per hour lower than the F-150, the two followed the Decepticon into the wilderness, being careful not to be spotted. Suddenly Diehard veered off into another part of the dense woods, over a series of rocky bumps and trails.

"I am _not_ about to go down that neck of woods," Jigsaw said, stopping just short. "I mean – he'll recognize me! And if there's one, then there's bound to be more!"

"Good point – here, I'll go down there," Mary said, jumping out of the vehicle and hurrying towards the woods. "He may recognize you, but he won't recognize me!"

"Be careful!"

Moving cautiously, she followed the roar of the F-150's engine into the forest, ducking behind numerous trees to keep out of sight. Eventually, the F-150 transformed into a beefy Decepticon, stopping in a clearing with several others. Mary slipped behind a thick tree trunk to avoid being seen. Thick robotic voices could be heard through the trees.

"My lord," Diehard said grimly, "they have regrouped. Your enemy has returned to the area."

"I knew all along that he would," a new voice stated. "You have done your work well, Diehard."

"My lord, I hate to interrupt, but shouldn't we be worrying about the humans if you want to kill him?" another Decepticon asked, nervously shuffling forward. "They could beat us to him."

"Well, that depends on your perspective, Rundown," the new voice said. "Now look here, your job was to keep an eye on the whereabouts of the Autobots, and they have recently been up here. So obviously Prime has to have returned. And if he has, then there's bound to be a way to stop him... though we should bide our time, wait for our opportunity to fight."

"I know that, my lord," Rundown gasped.

"You obviously don't, you prat," Diehard growled. "Unicron will prevail if he has no choice but to. He will kill – you just watch and wait, and when he does, you will see."

Mary turned tail and fled through the forest, her mind on reaching Jigsaw and returning home.

* * *

"Tally ho!" the cry flew over the city sunset as the nine arrived in the backlots of Grand Rapids. A little ways away from the Van Andel Arena, the Autobot Hound stood waiting for his cohorts. "Beautiful sunset, innit?"

"How have you been, Hound?" Brains asked, leaping outside of the Corvette.

The Autobot shrugged. "Aah, I been better. Welcome back, Optimus!" he added, spotting the truck. "Sorry I couldn' make it up."

"What made you go to the mechanic, Hound?" Drift asked as he transformed.

"Something was rattling around within the alternate," Hound explained. "The mechanic diagnosed it as a broken springshackle." He groaned. "Shoulda guessed. I blame the terrible terrain around here."

A baffled look came over the groups' faces. " Springshackle? How'd you break _that_?" Tessa asked.

"Well recently I been trying to stay off the main roads – what with the humans and all," Hound said. "I've been hitting the trails rarely used – and some of those trails were as bumpy as the Fallen's bone-headed spear! I guess it was one of those nutters that broke the springshackle. Anyway – where's Jigsaw? I heard he was with you lot."

"He was forced to turn back," Crosshairs said. "The gas tank was almost empty."

The Autobot chuckled. Then he spotted Megatron. He jumped backward, and a gun flew into his hand. "_What_ in _tarnation_ is _this_ metal-headed enslaver doing here?!" he growled.

"Hound, put the weapon away," Optimus said firmly, stepping forward. "Megatron has joined our side. You need not be worried about him."

Hound looked skeptical as he put the gun away. "If he puts one toe out of line he's a dead Decepticon," he said. "I'm just warning ya."

"Your warning has been taken, Hound," Megatron said. "If I were planning to attack I'd have done it by now. But I am not, so you can relax. Besides - do you see any Decepticons behind me? They're being led by another soul now."

"Is Mentor still at the shop?" Brains asked. "I just realized he isn't here."

"Yeah, he's still at the shop," Hound said. "Something tells me _his_ situation is worse than a stupid broken springshackle."

"What time is it now?" Drift asked. "We should be finding a place to rest soon."

A clock chimed in the distance. "Just about eight-thirty," Cade responded. "Tess – you and I need to find a place to sleep."

"I agree," Wrecker added, stretching. "My god, I'm tired. Besides, it'll do us no good to stay awake; Jigsaw's still on the road I bet, and it's going to take him more than four hours just to _reach_ here, much less _find_ us."

"Hound, you know a place where we can sleep?"

* * *

A hotel on the East Beltline, just off of I-96. In his room, Cade was having a rough night. By eleven pm, he still hadn't fallen asleep. He threw back the covers on his bed and headed for the kitchen. As he passed by the living room he saw his daughter sleeping on the couch.

Quietly, Cade made himself a warm drink, and sat down at the dining room table. As he sipped the drink, he couldn't help but wonder what was happening on the other side. But he didn't know... and if he didn't, then maybe Bumblebee might.

As this thought came to mind, he heard a loud honk just out front. He stood up, still holding his drink, and headed to the door of his room. Gingerly pushing it open, he saw the Camaro lurching backwards, away from a stormy gray 2011 Dodge Viper.

"Evening, Cade," the Dodge Viper said, pulling into a parking space.

Cade stepped into the lamplight, studying the vehicle. "Bee, who is this?" he asked.

The Dodge laughed. "It's me, Brono," he said. "Hound failed to mention that I was undergoing an upgrade in alternates due to off-roading purposes; I know he forgot. I chose this as my upgrade. You know how classy I like to be."

_Funny,_ Cade thought. _I don't remember him. Act casual._ Attempting to remain calm, he asked, "So why didn't you go with a limousine if you're that classy?"

"Too long," Brono answered. "Too long and _too bloody slow_. What if we have a code red situation and I don't arrive fast enough?"

"Oh," Cade said, taking another sip. "What brings you here, then?"

"I was released from the mechanic's an hour ago, and I figured I should probably see – er, hear about the trip," Brono said. "I best be going; I need to go find the others and catch up with them."

The Dodge backed out of the parking space and drove away erratically, leaving Cade and Bumblebee in the parking lot. When he was out of sight Bumblebee pulled back into his own space. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but that was suspicious."

"Suspicious is right," Cade agreed, leaning against the side of the Camaro. "How can he have been released from the mechanic's an hour ago? I don't remember him either. Did he just join up or something?"

"As long as I've been alive I've _never_ known an Autobot by the name of Brono," Bumblebee admitted. "Apparently, he was acting weird while here. Somehow he managed to find us and he actually tried to _tinker_ with me! It's a good thing I woke up in time or otherwise he'd have done something harmful. What's more, he isn't an Autobot – he's a Decepticon!"

"Hang on – he's a _what_?" Cade said, confused.

"I saw the marking where the symbol is supposed to be," the Autobot explained. "I've suspicion to believe that Brono has not been at the mechanic's as he claimed to be, but somewhere else – maybe even at Harbor Springs, spying on us."

"We'll see," Cade said. "Tomorrow, we'll mention it to the others."

Bumblebee seemed to agree. The Camaro sighed heavily, appearing to sag on its wheels.

Another car pulled up in the lot, this one a bright red Lamborghini Gellardo. This one had the Autobot symbol on the side. "Evening Bee, Cade," the voice said. When neither responded, he added hastily, "It's Mentor, remember? Optimus' descendant? Medic-in-training?"

Recognition swirled over Cade's face as the Camaro let out a sigh of relief. "Evening then," Cade said. "How have you been?"

"Fine, thanks," Mentor said. "I would have been downtown to greet you guys – _and_ my ascendant, but I was delayed by the mechanic. He wanted to make sure I could transform smoothly before he let me go."

Bumblebee asked, "Which one did you go to?"

"Jigsaw recommended this guy – he's on the outskirts of the district East Grand Rapids," Mentor said. "And before you ask, no I didn't see Brono there at all. I doubt he even _went_ off-roading or for an upgrade like he said he did."

"What makes you so sure of that?" Cade asked.

"The guy absolutely _hates_ mud!" Mentor said, sounding rather explanatory. "I wouldn't know him if I saw him go through a _puddle_, much less _off-roading_!"


	4. Chapter 4

Around nine-thirty the next morning, the Autobots were quick to group back up in the backlots. Only three were missing: Jigsaw and Brono, and with Jigsaw, Mary. Nobody minded the fact that they were a little late; the information, however, was stacking up against Brono and damaging his reputation.

"So then," Megatron said, rubbing his hands together. "You're saying, Mentor, that Brono was never in the repair shop you were at?"

Mentor nodded. "I went back this morning and double-checked. He said he never saw Brono in the shop –"

Tire screeches cut him off. A moment later, a silver Toyota 4Runner came squealing into the backlots. It transformed and became Jigsaw; as he did so, Mary dived out from the driver's seat and stood up, brushing herself off.

"When'd you return?" Cade asked.

"Almost ten at night; we saw something odd," Mary explained. "Well, Jigsaw did; he wanted to check it out before we left Petoskey."

Jigsaw glanced left and right. "Be glad that Brono isn't here right now. There's some groundbreaking news you guys have to hear."

Groans circulated around the group – except from several of the Autobots. "Oh come on, man! Not now, Jigsaw," Hound protested.

"Yes, not now! We're busy!" Wrecker added.

Megatron sighed. "Cut the whining, you lot!" he barked angrily. "Some of us want to know what these two have found."

Those who were whining quit. Optimus said, "What have you found out that is of such importance?"

Jigsaw looked at Mary, and then at Optimus. He said, "Remember when I had to go back for gas?"

One by one, everyone (except Mentor and Hound) nodded. "You told us you had a quarter tank left," Drift said.

"Well while we were there I spotted Diehard driving down the road in front of the station," Jigsaw said. "We followed him until he went off the road into a set of trees; I refused to go, fearing a trap, so Mary went instead."

A puzzled look came over Megatron's face. "Whom did he go to meet?" he asked. "Was he on his own or was he meeting someone? I know he's a Decepticon, so he could be meeting their new leader..."

"He was meeting someone," Jigsaw said. "Wasn't much in the way of names, but –"

"I heard two names," Mary said, breaking off Jigsaw's sentence. "Guy calling himself Rundown, and another one calling himself Unicron."

Gasps echoed around the group, with a shout from Cade. Tessa merely rolled her eyes. "Crazy as usual," she said loudly. "I'm not surprised you haven't been shoved into a mental asylum. There's no such dude with the name Unicron!"

But there were no comments from this remark. Mentor said, a nuance in his robotic voice, "There _is_ a Transformer with the name Unicron – he was the brother of Primus, the creator of Cybertron, and fought against him in the Great War; I remember studying the topic before coming to Earth. This, however, is no time to be silly. This is a serious situation we have here."

"I wasn't being _silly_!" Tessa responded, annoyed. "I was being _serious_! This girl makes outlandish claims just to draw attention to herself; must have ADD or something! You honestly can't believe these two with their crazy story about this wacko called Unicron being here on Earth!? I mean – that's just a wild and crazy story probably cooked up by Jigsaw himself!"

Her rant, however, did nothing but infuriate both Jigsaw and the human he was with. Drift and Crosshairs, upon seeing the look of rage on Jigsaw's face, rushed to restrain the Autobot from stomping on Tessa. "Shut it!" Drift shouted, struggling hard with the furious Autobot. "Shut it now!"

There was no stopping the envious young teenager now. "What you two need to do is stay away from my friends!" she said, hands on her hips and snooty look on her face. "No, no, you have nothing to say to that! You have nothing to say to any of us! I nailed you two to the ground with your story of bullshit, and no matter how hard you try you won't become one of the 'in crowd'!"

"Let me at her!" Jigsaw growled. "Let me at her! I'll kill her!"

While Crosshairs, Drift, and soon Bumblebee wrestled Jigsaw to the ground, Tessa smirked at Mary. The teenager merely walked up to her with her own look on her face.

"Whatcha going to do?" Tessa sneered. "You're not as strong as me!"

Mary retorted, "I do _not_ have attention deficit disorder! And if you make another remark about that I'll send you flying into that dumpster behind you! Take the hint and drop the matter!"

"You intolerable, insignificant, selfish little –" Tessa began.

Mary cut her off, delivering her exact words. She kicked Tessa in the gut, sending her backwards into the nearby dumpster. Only then did she shut her mouth, and only then did Mary walk back over to where she was standing originally. Drift, Crosshairs, and Bumblebee let a now-calm Jigsaw off the ground.

"Nice one," he hissed, brushing dust off of his armor. "Jeezus H, dude!"

During the skirmish the other Autobots and Megatron had been discussing intently amongst themselves. Now they turned back to the others.

"Jigsaw, Mary, are you absolutely certain that one of those names heard was Unicron?" Optimus asked.

The two of them nodded intensely.

A deep, ashen look came over the Autobot leader, hanging like a gray cloud. "Then my suspicions and worst fears have been realized," he said. "Everyone here is now in danger from him. And the possibility is open that Brono is actually on his side, hiding on ours as a spy."

"How big is this threat?" Cade asked.

"Extremely," Brains said. "As a brother, Unicron was a real beast of a fighter. His mind was on nothing but war and conquer, and every time he took on his brother, he won. Now, hearing that he's alive and kicking, we must know that if we don't do something he will discover our being here, kill us, and then there will be nobody to prevent him from enslaving the human race! We must formulate plans of action; we must also find the boundaries of this city – in other words, how far it reaches."

They nodded briefly. One by one, they separated into groups and set out for different areas, keeping watch for anybody suspicious. They continued to leave until the only ones left were Optimus, Jigsaw, Bumblebee, Mentor, Mary, both Yeagers, and Crosshairs.

"How bad is it?" Mentor asked. "Does he know where we are?"

Mary shook her head no. "We took off before he knew we were there," she said calmly. "But I think he was slightly suspicious. He mentioned that 'his enemy had returned...' I think he means Optimus is back or something in that area."

"What are we going to do about this?" Cade asked. "Once Unicron finds out where we're located, we're dead."

"That may be true, Cade, but remember that while he may learn our location, he doesn't know what our alternates are," Optimus said. "His not-knowing gives us the advantage over him... for the time being, that is."

"But – hang on a second," Jigsaw realized. "Something's bothering me. Aren't we at a disadvantage too?"

"What do you mean by that?" Crosshairs asked.

"Well, I see two ways," Jigsaw said, counting on his fingers. "One: we don't know _their_ alternate forms. Two: what if Brono turned over to his side? He knows every alternate we are!"

Bumblebee smacked his forehead. "Crap! Jigsaw has a point. We don't know any of Unicron's followers' alternates. We also don't know whether Brono has joined sides. So we are at a severe disadvantage as well as a slim advantage."

"We shall have to make our moves very carefully," Mentor said. As he spoke his hand switched to reveal a thin, silver blade. This he used to slice a trashcan in half. "Good, that's still sharp."

"All the same, we have to stay out of sight," Bumblebee said. "No false moves. Not even driving out in daylight. We should start roaming the streets at night. That's what we used to do."

"Bad idea," Crosshairs said quickly. "They'll probably be expecting that. I say daytime."

Jigsaw sprang between the two. "No fighting here! Not now!" he cried. "We don't need that now!"

"Cade, Tessa, Mary, what do you think should be done?" Optimus asked, looking at the three. "We can't come up with a decision. Bumblebee says nighttime, and Crosshairs says daytime; I do not know which is simpler."

The three humans looked at each other. "I don't have an answer," Tessa said, shrugging her shoulders. "Do you, dad?"

"Suggestion, maybe," Mary said.

"I wasn't talking to you!" Tessa snapped at her.

Mary pretended not to have heard her. "Since Bumblebee and Jigsaw are usually around us, I say we only go out in daylight if we can make it seem like everyone else isn't an Autobot."

"Interesting concept," Optimus admitted. "How can that be done, however?"

Cade snapped his fingers. "The mechanic Mentor told us about! He could disguise the Autobot symbol!" he said. "At least, I think he could!"

"And as for us, we should sit in the driver's seat," Mary said. "Make it look like we're doing the driving if anybody looks."

Jigsaw nodded. "Good plan," he said. "Mary, you and I will go back and snoop around Petoskey – which was where we saw Diehard acting suspiciously."

Bumblebee nodded, and so did Mentor. "I'll come with you," Mentor added. "Test out my skills."

"Okay then. To the mechanic, I guess," Crosshairs said. "Lead the way, Bee."


	5. Chapter 5

Quietly, the Dodge Viper traveled through the dense roads of Petoskey Bay. He moved fast over the asphalt, searching intently for the sign. Then he saw it: a set of rocks by a fallen tree. He transformed, and began walking down the road.

"Morning, Brono," a voice said behind him.

"GAH! What the hell!" Brono swore, jumping a little and then looking back. "I suppose I should say good day to you, Diehard."

"No need," the Decepticon said, stepping out of the brush. "Follow me," he added. "Unicron is waiting for us."

Reluctantly, Brono stepped off of the road. "It didn't rain here, did it?" he asked. "God, I hate mud."

"Stop being a whiner and deal with it," Diehard stated. "Now come on!"

The two proceeded into the woods, stopping when they reached the clearing. Another Decepticon, who seemed to be out of breath, approached them as they entered.

"What's the rush, Upshift?" Brono asked.

"Lord Unicron is injured," Upshift responded. "He has a favor to ask of all of us – especially you, Brono."

The three broke into a run. "How hurt is he?" Diehard asked. "How bad is it – it being the injury?"

"How bad? _How bad?_ Hah – see for yourself, dudes!" Upshift responded.

In minutes they broke into another clearing, where a devastating sight met their eyes. The doppelganger was lying on the ground, a look of agony on his face. Two other Decepticons were nearby, and one more was frantically working on the doppelganger's left leg. As they watched, the Decepticon moved a side to reveal a hole of acid in the lower part of the leg, right in between the knee and the foot.

"Do you see what I see?" Brono said softly. "I see our chance, our chance to act, to separate from this piece of garbage. On my signal, Diehard, we leave him to die."

Upshift and Diehard nodded. "It's your signal, Brono," Upshift added. "We stand with you."

Calmly, Brono approached Unicron. "Brono," the Decepticon said. "I didn't expect you to come so quickly."

"What's this favor you have to ask of us?" Brono stated flatly. "I didn't come up here all the way for nothing."

"I am unable to walk or stand; do you think you might be able to take over for me until I have recovered from this destructive acid?" Unicron asked.

A gleeful look came over Brono's face. "Gladly, pathetic fool," he said, a tone of mockery in his voice. _"Gladly."_

With this, the other five Decepticons went and stood behind Brono, angered looks on their faces. Unicron stammered, "What – what's going on here, Brono?!"

"You've ruled over us for long enough," Brono stated darkly. "It's time for _me_ to lead us now."

"What have I done to make you want me dead?" Unicron asked. There was fear in his eyes now. He knew he was losing control, but he had to know. "What has made you like this?"

Brono's eyes narrowed steeply. Diehard said, "You're too much like the guy you want to be rid of. Too much like him."

"Namby-pamby," one of the other Decepticons sneered. "Namby-pamby do-gooder _Autobot!_"

"And we don't want to be lead by someone who acts like the one they want destroyed," Upshift stated flatly. "We need – no, we _want_ a _real_ leader, someone who's hungry for power and control. _That_ – is _not_ – you, and you know it isn't."

"But it _is me_," Brono stated, hand shifting away to become a cannon. "Nobody wants a goody-goody two-shoes. But they _do_ want a leader who will lead them confidently. This I am, and you aren't."

There was fear in the wounded Decepticon's voice as he spoke. "So... you're saying that I shouldn't be allowed to live – just because I'm _weak_?"

"Aah, something like that," Brono said, an evil grin breaking out on his face.

Suddenly the fear turned to rage. "You'll never escape the jaws of justice, Brono!" Unicron growled. "Never! Someday – somewhere, someday – someone will take you down!"

But Brono merely laughed. "Yeah, right, sure, someone's going to take me down," he said. "And who's about to stop me? Certainly _not_ you."

Only now did the wounded Decepticon see the cannon protruding from Brono's arm. Only now did he realize Brono's _true_ intention. _"NO!"_ he yelled.

_Bang!_

The cannon fired, its shot spilling into the right side of Unicron's face. Metal flew everywhere as the entire right half of his face and eye were completely destroyed, ripped away from its sockets like meat from the bone. Unicron slumped against the tree, dead.

"Brono! Brono!" the Decepticons cheered boldly.

Brono could feel himself evolving. "I am Brono no longer!" he called out, rising higher above them. "To you, my friends, I say... hail Powertron!"

"Hail Powertron! Hail Powertron!" the Decepticons roared their approval.

"Come, my friends," newly-named Powertron declared. "Let us go north into the Upper Side of this state, and away from this pathetic life form. There – we shall plan our taking over the others. Follow me!"

With that, he led them out of the woods, back to the road. They transformed into their numerous alternate forms and began the trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan... unaware of the two Autobots at the far side of the asphalt.

* * *

The moment the Decepticons were out of sight, the two Autobots (Mentor and Jigsaw) and lone human (Mary) nipped up from behind their hiding spots.

"So Brono has turned," Mentor said softly. "Remind me to alert Optimus. This is not good news – not good news at all."

Mary nodded. "Come on – I'll show you the clearing," she said, darting ahead of them.

The three rushed onwards into the forest, following the rutted Decepticon tracks. Eventually, they reached the first clearing, allowing Mentor and Jigsaw to transform.

"Is this the place?" Jigsaw asked.

"Must be," Mentor said, pointing to some shredded metal. "Jigsaw, do me a favor and take a look around, will you? I think someone's injured."

"On it," Jigsaw said, vanishing into the trees.

"Injured?" Mary asked, a questionable look on her face. "I guess it is possible. Either that, or someone's dead."

Mentor shrugged, bending over to study the metal. "Decepticon, aged – and most certainly recent," he said. "Weird. On Cybertron this would have been absorbed by now." Sensing the teenager was about to ask another question, he added rapidly, "When a Transformer dies, the ground harvests them to make new ones – we call them sparks – or to expand with more life. Here, you humans just... oh, what's the word..."

"Rot?"

Mentor nodded. "Is it always when one is dead? I've seen a few be absorbed alive in their last few moments on my home planet."

"Yeah," Mary said. "It's more common with roadkill, but that's just because we use cremation most of the time."

"Cremation?" there was a nuance in Mentor's voice. "What's that exactly?"

"That's when we burn a dead body," Mary explained, drawing a picture in the dirt. "It's allegedly better than burying them, but what are you going to do with the ashes? Keep them in a jar?"

"Most unusual. I've never heard of that before until now," Mentor commented.

"Hey guys! C'mere! Something's gone down – I just found someone hurt!" Jigsaw yelled.

The two followed Jigsaw's voice to the second clearing, where they saw the unmoving body of Unicron, and Jigsaw standing off to the side. He came over to join them as they entered the clearing.

"What in the name of Primus happened _here_?" Mentor said, gazing at the body. "Jeezus H, that is _awful!_"

"Is this Unicron?" Jigsaw asked. "It doesn't look like him."

The girl shrugged uneasily. "It's possible this is him. But I don't think he had a hole in his leg or half his face blown off when he was last seen."

Cautiously, they approached the body from the front. Jigsaw winced upon seeing the hole filled with acid. "Ugh..." he groaned. "Nobody deserves to go out this way. I don't know how you stand being a medical officer, Mentor."

"True that," Mary said, peering at the hole and reeling away. "That's nitric acid in there, the most destructive acid known to man. It's a wonder the calf is still holding together!"

"Hang on – if he's supposed to be dead, then why is his spark lit?" Mentor asked. "Death extinguishes the spark, doesn't it? At least, I think it does. I'm still learning about the role of a medic..."

They stopped, studying the body carefully. Then, unexpectedly, the one untouched eye sparked orange. The damaged hand slowly turned to face them, a mess of shrapnel, broken edges, frayed wires, jagged edges and cannon shot. There was only one conclusion that could be made from this terrifying chaos:

_Unicron was alive_.

For limitless minutes, nobody moved. Then, ever so slowly, Unicron lifted his hand and wrote two letters in the dirt: an A and a D. Mentor stepped forward to examine them; once he was finished he looked up at the damaged face. In response, Unicron pointed to the A – and then to the D. Then he pointed at Mentor and Jigsaw. His lone eye now seemed curious, as if he wanted to know whose side they were on.

Jigsaw immediately understood what the injured Decepticon was trying to say. "We're Autobots," he said. "The good guys. We're not in league with that maniac."

Unicron nodded, showing his understanding. Then he spotted Mary, and pointed at her, then the A. He added a question mark. Was she on their side?

"I'm with them too," Mary said, moving away from the hole of acid.

Now Mentor spoke. "Do you want us to help you?" he asked, looking straight at the damaged half.

Slowly, Unicron drew a Y in the dirt, then an E, and then an S. He had spelled YES. He needed help – desperately needed help if he wanted to survive.

Mentor quickly beckoned for Jigsaw, who came to the other side. "Hold his head steady," he instructed. "Keep him still, and don't let him move. If he moves, then he will worsen his condition. I'll alert the others – especially Megatron. We'll have to airlift him out of here!"

* * *

"That's the last one," the mechanic said, tightening the last nut. "You're good to go, Hound. Be careful on that springshackle, too. Don't go off the asphalt unless you're hiding in the army or from any threats."

With that, the last Autobot rolled out of the shop, joining the others in the yard out back. "That's everyone," Hound said. "What's the next step?"

"Resume our ordinary activities," Crosshairs responded. "Or, at least, I think that's what we should do."

"Why don't we just hide out at someone's house?" Tessa suggested. "I'm sure there's a big space around here somewhere..."

But this was met with outrage. "Are you kidding!? We're not enduring what Megatron went through!" Wrecker argued. "Not by a long chalk!"

"And you can bet your life that I am not about to go through all that again!" Megatron added, making a fist. "Not if you want your life at risk from my rage, you wouldn't."

"We know, Megatron, just chill," Drift said.

"Where's Cade?" Brains asked.

Bumblebee responded with a single odd noise. "He's on a phone call. Came in while we were in the shop." But it wouldn't be a mystery so as to who was on the other end for much longer.

"What – you found him?" Cade said suddenly. "Immediate evac – oh, that's just your opinion. Not really; well... wait – ask him what? Ummm... just a sec."

He paused and addressed the Autobots. "Uh, guys? Big doings down in Harbor Springs. They've found someone by the bay, someone half dead."

"Who have they found?" Megatron asked.

"Brace yourselves – they've found Unicron," Cade said.

_"__What?"_ everyone cried unanimously. (Brains actually swore)

Cade nodded. "They found him with half his face blown off and a hole of nitric acid in his lower leg. At the moment, Mentor's trying to keep him still, prevent shock. They want to ask him a couple questions, specifically on how he was injured."

Everyone's gaze turned to Optimus, who asked, "Why is it us they ask?"

"There was no Brono on our side. He's an evildoer!" Cade stated flatly.

Bumblebee let fly a yell. "I _KNEW _IT! I just bloody _knew_ it! Goddamn you, Brono! Why'd you have to go and trick us like that? What a maniac! What an absolute tin-brained megalomaniac!"

"Tell him to restore the vocal processors, and question him thoroughly once done so," Optimus ordered.

"Oh – and ask Unicron if he's on our side," Megatron added. "I'll come by and airlift him back here, where he can be properly questioned!"

Cade put the payphone to his ear. "Restore his voice, then question him. Find out if he's on our side. Megatron will come airlift him to Grand Rapids. Oh – okay. But – wait, you want to evacuate now? Why? Oh... yeah, I'll tell him."

He hung up. "You need to go _now_, Megatron. There are Decepticons in the area!"

The Decepticon rocketed into the air, transformed into the jet, and took off in a northeastern direction, flying towards the hot afternoon sun. "Hound, I want you to come along!" he echoed. "I need you to help provide ground support! Mentor and Jigsaw won't be enough to help the injured stand up!"


	6. Chapter 6

On the other side of the bridge between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, Powertron gazed up at the cloudy sky. He felt extremely confident that Unicron's words wouldn't haunt him; he was so cocky about it that when one of his followers came up behind him with a bizarre question, he merely blew it off... for a minute.

"My lord," a timid voice said behind him.

Powertron turned around to see a small Decepticon – about waist high – standing behind him. "What is it, Equilibrium?" he boldly asked. "You seem rather... unjustly."

Equilibrium took a moment before answering. "Are you sure that what we're doing is right? Because it doesn't feel right at _all_."

"How does it not feel right?" Powertron demanded. "Tell it to me! Now!"

Equilibrium couldn't control his temper. He shouted, "Some of us didn't want to abandon Unicron on the Lower Side! What if the Autobots find him first?!"

"He's dead, you fool!" Powertron roared. "Dead! He is of no use to them –"

"Then what's with the spark still being lit?!" the Decepticon insisted. "When the spark is extinguished, then death is imminent! _The spark was still lit when we left him!_"

Powertron seized Equilibrium by the neck and hoisted him upward. "The spark _was_ extinguished, you fool!" he growled menacingly. "A pathetic attempt to reconcile who your old leader was! He died because he was a foolish, foolish namby-pamby! He died because he deserved to die!"

Equilibrium wrestled free and shouted, "You're no better than you used to be! You come up to take over and you find yourself stuck in power on the wrong side!" He charged, cannon out. "I'll flay you!"

Before he could strike, Powertron smashed his forearm into Equilibrium's head. He followed it up with a wrestling takedown, pinning Equilibrium's arm behind his back at an extremely painful angle. With his knee in the Decepticon's back, his hand on his head, and other hand twisting the pinned arm, Powertron leaned in close to Equilibrium's ear, and began to speak in a _very_ – _poisonous_ – _tone_ of voice.

"'I'll flay you', eh?" he said, watching the pain appear on Equilibrium's face. "Say you'll flay me, kill your leader, eh?"

Equilibrium didn't respond. His eyes were screwed shut, and his mouth was open, wailing very quietly, with one loud sob every now and then. The pain he was feeling at this very moment was worse than he had ever faced.

"I'll teach you how to flay someone," Powertron said greedily. "And why, you ask, why do I do this? Because you are incapable of doing it yourself." He raised his voice. "Diehard! Upshift! Gather the others and bring them to my location!"

The bushes and trees swayed and toppled over onto the ground, revealing behind them Diehard, Upshift, and the rest of the Decepticons. "Why are we here?" Upshift asked.

Powertron removed his hand from Equilibrium's head. "We're going to have some fun today, fellas," he said. "This guy right here – he doesn't know how to flay." On the last word, he winked at them. "Shall we teach him how?"

A gluttonous look entered the Decepticons' eyes. They nodded eagerly, gathering around the two in a massive circle.

Powertron now looked down at the frightened Equilibrium. "So," he said, grabbing the arm with _both_ hands, "let's teach you how to flay."

* * *

"Any sign of him?" Mentor asked.

"No, not yet!" Mary answered. She was gazing up at the sky, searching for Megatron's familiar alternate. "He said Hound was coming to provide ground support. Don't know why..."

"Jigsaw, light," Mentor instructed. A small headlight from Jigsaw's chest shone down onto the parts of metal making up the vocal processors. "Just one more thing to re-wire... then I think... try now," Mentor addressed Unicron. "Something random; doesn't matter what it is."

A rumble came from within Unicron's throat. "I," he said. "I am. I am a. I am a fighter." He stopped in wonder. "I can speak! I can speak again! Thank you!"

A grin broke out on Mentor's face. "Good – those vocal processors of yours are working again. Now I can tend to that acid hole," he said, moving to the side of the left leg. "So tell me – what on Cybertron happened to you?"

"Which tale of woe do you want first?" Unicron asked. "Acid or face?"

"Preferably the acid hole," Mentor said, scanning the massive nitric acid hole and reeling a little from the sight. "If I learn how you acquired it, then I'll know how to fix it. Jigsaw, you make sure he holds still. This is some deadly stuff, and I don't want it becoming worse. Mary – you come here; I need you to tell me as much as you know about this nitric acid. Never heard of the stuff before, so I need all the information you can remember."

While Mary went to join Mentor, Jigsaw positioned Unicron's still battered head against a tree trunk. "Start from the beginning," he said. "And don't try anything stupid with us."

Unicron nodded slowly. "The hole was an accident," he explained. "One of the Decepticons discovered an acid so strong that it could dissolve anything metal. He was carrying a tank of the stuff, and he tripped over a log. The tank blew apart upon hitting the ground; a good chunk of the acid within hit me in the leg. The rest hit him – he was history in minutes. Me – well, not so much; the stuff started eating away at my leg – boy, did that ever _hurt!_"

"I can imagine why it would," Jigsaw muttered. Tramping signal someone was there. Another voice rippled through the air – the voice was that of Hound.

"Jigsaw? Mentor? Where are you guys?" Hound called.

"Over here!" Mentor hollered. "Follow the tire marks – you'll find us!"

A moment later, Hound emerged from the dense forest shrubbery. "So _that's_ the guy," he said, pulling out a gun. "You sure you know what you're doing, man? I don't trust this dude..."

"Relax, Hound, he's not doing anything while we're here," Jigsaw stated. "Is Megatron above us?"

The Autobot nodded. "Hovering above, waiting for your cue," he said.

"Bring him down," Mentor said, standing up. "There's only one way to fix this problem. The acid's eaten too much. But I'll need my ascendant's advice on the best way to cut this thing off. I don't want it becoming worse"

"What for?" Unicron asked. "Wait - you're cutting it off? Why are you doing _that_?!"

"It's fruitless trying to put your leg back to normal; nitric acid is so corrosive I'm not surprised it dissolved the Decepticon in minutes," Mary said. "I mean – it's so corrosive that if we use it in chemistry the teacher has to dish it out. We can't take it ourselves; we'd most likely hurt someone."

"Because of these facts, I can't do anything here," Mentor said. "We'll have to amputate it, and it'll have to re-evolve."

Megatron suddenly dropped from the sky. "Tell us about the head wound on the way back," he suggested. "It'll keep your mind off of your leg. What's the plan, Mentor?"

"Probably have you act as a support, with Hound on the ground," Mentor said. "Now - Megatron, I need you to transform and hover right about where you were earlier. Hound, I need you to transform as well; except I want you underneath his undamaged leg. Megatron, you're acting as a splint for the damaged leg. Come on - the quicker we move the quicker we can fix this problem!"

* * *

On the banks of the Upper Peninsula, Equilibrium stirred. He had passed out with the first hard twist, and the first loud crack splintering through the air. Slowly, he tried to sit up, and found himself back on the ground. He moved his left arm towards his face, and discovered that everything except for the arm itself had been shaved off. Powertron had flayed his arm!

He slumped back over, unsure of what was happening. His comrade helped him stand up, and the two walked back into the deep forest. They walked for a few minutes through the leafy greenery, stopping only when Equilibrium couldn't walk any further.

"Powertron is insane!" Equilibrium gasped. "He must be stopped!"

"I know that, my friend," his comrade said. "I know."

* * *

The trip back had gone off without a hitch. Unicron's leg had been successfully amputated and re-evolved. He could now stand up easily, though there was no saving the right side of his face. Aside from his single eye, his entire face would never be recovered without the help of his brother... if his brother chose to take mercy.

"I appreciate what you have done for me," he said, addressing the entire group in the backlots. "Perhaps I can repay that favor you have given to me."

"How can you do that?" Crosshairs asked.

"Are you on our side now?" Drift added. "It is essential to know, what with Brono's turning on us," he added hastily.

Unicron responded, "I am on your side – that you do not have to panic about, Drift."

"That's good," Wrecker said. "At least you're all better now – to the extent that can be fixed."

"So... what's this favor you have to repay us with?" Tessa asked. "Removing this foolish junior or possibly the dumbass Transformer guarding her? That would be just _swell!_"

An angry shout rose from the vocal chords in both Cade's and Mary's throats. _"Tessa!"_ Cade scolded.

Mentor and Bumblebee quickly pinned Jigsaw to the ground. "Let me at her!" he was growling most ferociously. "Let me at her! I'll kill her! I swear to Primus I'll kill the woman!"

"Enough of this madness!" Optimus thundered. "Enough of this! Stop your bickering, the lot of you! As for you, Tessa, do us all a favor and stop trying to undermine our progress! We warned you not to do such calamities, as they only drag down the insight to evil."

"All right, all right, I'll do it," Tessa grumbled, crossing her arms. "You've made your bloody point. Just shut up already."

"So tell us, Unicron," Brains said, "what do you plan to do?"

The gentle giant flashed a kind look from his single eye. "You are currently at a disadvantage against Brono and his cronies," he stated. "You do not know their alternate forms, and you do not know if they are going to attack. However, with me onboard you are now at a major advantage. I know the alternate forms of Brono and his cronies, and – I find this more of a curse – at random moments I will black out. When this happens, I am having a vision sent to me by my brother. The vision is of what happens to our enemies, and they can be very helpful."

"So you're saying that if they were to head this direction, you'd know about it?" Brains asked.

When Unicron nodded Cade said, "You're pretty useful to have as an ally, Unicron. Sorry about your face, though."

"Oh don't be sorry, Cade," Unicron said, looking right at him. "Be grateful it wasn't _you!_ Do you even _know_ what it's like to take a face-full of cannon shot?"

"N-No," Cade said nervously.

"Believe me, you _don't_ want to know," the Decepticon stated. "Because it _does_ hurt, and it cost me half my face and very nearly my life."

Suddenly he went still, rigid as stone. The Autobots and humans backed away, unsure of what was happening to him. Was it a vision? Was he having a vision?

His legs buckled, and he hit the ground, coming out of the trance with one hand over his eye. Wrecker and Megatron bolted to his side, helping the gentle giant stand up.

"They're coming!" Unicron gasped out. "They're coming to attack us! By high noon tomorrow we'll be under siege!"

Shock waves rippled through the lot of them. Brono was that daring?! He was crazy! Downright bonkers! And he was coming to attack them by high noon _tomorrow_! Panic started to spread within.

"He'll be killed tangling with us!" Wrecker said confidently.

Unicron shook his head. "No," he said. "No – no, no, no. Wrecker, you must realize this: when he shot me, everyone turned to his side. He is no longer called Brono. He goes by Powertron now." His eyes locked on Mentor. "You will be disarmed within the battle," he stated. "You will never be able to fight again." Then he stood up. "We will have to let them go if we want him to live. But the battle will end with someone paying a terrible price."

"Who?" Jigsaw asked.

"I do not know," Unicron said. "This is all I will be shown. Even my own brother hides the future from me. But I will say this much: it could be one of us. I will know by tomorrow, if my brother should learn so." He turned to Optimus. "I realize Mentor is your descendant, and will most likely take over once you are gone. But do not be afraid for his life. He will be alive at the end. We will all be alive at the end – though I doubt my presence during the battle. If my brother summons me and the battle starts, it is most likely that I will not show up."

Optimus bowed his head solemnly, the only gesture he could think of, as he could find no words to address his comrades. Megatron began to speak in his place. "We have all heard the outcome of what is to be a terrible battle. We must not let these words frighten us. We must continue to remain who we are, and remain on the side we currently stand. Though I have only been here for a few days, I have realized how corrupt I used to be – corrupt with the disease of power. Now, I have seen how much freedom means to both Transformer and fleshling. If Brono – as he will always be known – tries to remove that freedom, then I will stop at nothing to remain a free being, to remain with this side."

"What should we do?" Cade asked. "Should we fight?"

"That would not be a good idea," Tessa began.

Unicron was quick to speak. "My brother told me in the vision that 'none yet some shall fight; while all cower in fear, one will fight alongside us'. He didn't tell me any more."

"Then we should prepare for the battle ahead," Drift stated. "The sooner we do, the more of a chance we'll have against Brono."


	7. Chapter 7

"It's almost high noon," Cade noted. He and Tessa visited a coffee shop earlier that day - a shop that was a block away from the Ellis Parking Garage – where Bumblebee and Jigsaw were keeping a lookout for any signs of trouble.

"True that – the clock in the square says 11:55," Tessa said, closing the door of the shop. She shivered. "Already I'm antsy. They could attack at any time!"

"Yeah, I know," Cade said.

"Hey - who's that?" Tessa asked

Cade followed her gaze to the road. Rolling slowly up in front of the Ellis Parking Garage was a black Volkswagen Jetta. Noticing the two humans, it sped into an empty parking space, attempting to disguise itself.

"They're here," Cade said beneath his breath. "How do we alert...?"

"We don't," Tessa responded. "I've a little idea... we need to... possibly _provoke_ him..." She pulled a key out of her pocket. "You have a key, right?"

Cade, realizing what they were about to do, pulled a key out of his pocket. He grinned evilly. Quietly, the two walked across the street, pretending to go about their own business as they passed the vehicle as a father and daughter couple. Seemingly, the Volkswagen chuckled.

Big mistake. The two humans bolted to the car. Cade keyed the side and trunk, and with the second key Tessa had the front.

"WHAT THA HELL!" the Decepticon yelled, transforming rapidly. "You stupid fleshlings!"

"Bumblebee!" Cade shrieked, sighting the Camaro.

The Autobot transformed, diving off the floor, and taking the Decepticon head-on. Within seconds there was the sound of hand-to-hand combat, Autobot vs. Decepticon, ally vs. enemy. Quickly, the humans took off towards the Grand River, dodging brawling Transformers.

"Well, Unicron was right!" Tessa hollered. "It's high noon and we're under attack!"

As she said this Drift crashed in front of them, holding of his attacker with one arm. "I should have known it was you, Prowler!" he said, struggling to keep the Decepticon at bay. "Brono's tempting words motivated you to go to his side, then?!"

"Oh, you're _so_ going to pay for that one!" Prowler retorted. "Powertron will rise over you all! Compared to him, you're nothing!"

He raised his blade high for the finishing blow, but before he could strike Drift whipped onto his side and kicked the Decepticon off of him. He sprang to his feet and charged back into battle, yanking a sword from the slits on his shoulders, and clearing the path for the humans. The two humans sprinted through the streets, narrowly dodging more and more blows.

Eventually, an alleyway opened up to one of the main roads to the Grand River. Tearing down it, the two came up behind Wrecker– who was talking to a Decepticon.

"What are you doing?!" Cade screeched. "He's the enemy!"

"No I'm not!" the Decepticon protested. "Do you think I'd be here if he hadn't flayed my arm!?"

Sure enough, all the armor and supposed metal had been stripped away from the Decepticon's right arm. The weapon was gone too. The only thing left was the partly wired limb itself.

"I hate him as much as you do!" the Decepticon added. "He has to die!"

"I was looking for you lot!" the voice of Mary Runner split the air as the teenager ran up from an alleyway. "Holey Toledo this is really a fight!"

"Where the hell have you been?!" Tessa shouted at Mary, furious. "You should be running away, not running towards the fighting!"

"Does it matter right now?!" Mary growled. "The point is that there's a bloody war going on in front of us! We can't just sit back and look pretty!"

"Which is why we should hide!" Tessa said insistently. "The war isn't ours to fight —"

"That's garbage! If Brono wins Grand Rapids will fall!" The teenage girl ran towards another sidestreet, wielding a Swiss Army knife and grabbing the hood of her sweatshirt.

"Where are you going?" Tessa hollered after her.

"I'm not about to lose my freedom to this idiot!" Mary responded. A moment later, she had vanished down the sidestreet, heaving the hood of her sweatshirt up over her head so as not to have metal flying in her face.

"She'll kill herself down there!" Tessa muttered. "Well, at least that will give us the satisfaction of her death."

A yell broke through the air. "Quit fighting! All Decepticons head for the bridge!"

"That's the bastard himself!" the Deception said aloud, pushing himself to his feet. "Come on!"

The four of them bolted towards the nearest bridge – stopping several feet short. Nobody could speak, for they were all aghast with terror at what they saw, or rather, _whom_ they saw on the bridge to the left of them. On that very bridge, a cruel smile on his face, was none other than Brono – er, Powertron. Beneath him, with right arm pinned behind his back, was a red-shelled Autobot, fury in his eyes at his captor.

Cade's heart skipped a beat. "Oh my god – that's Mentor!"

"MENTOR!" the cry flew from Hound's mouth as he appeared on the far side of the old train bridge. "Hang on! We're coming!"

"You'll not move a muscle if you want him returned!" Powertron growled ferociously. "Optimus Prime! Show us your face, you coward!"

Moments after these words were spoken, the great Autobot leader appeared on the far end of the bridge. "Let him go, Brono!" he responded. "He is nothing to you!"

"Oh don't worry; I will," Powertron said smugly. "But after you hear me out first."

"Then say it, pestilence," Megatron said, appearing on the same side as the other Autobots. "We do not have all day to listen to you jabbering worthless commands at us!"

Powertron smirked. "The terms are simple," he said. "I let him go, you accept defeat. You turn over to my side, and rule under my power. But if you refuse, I will flay him before your very eyes. You won't see him alive again if you refuse. So what's it going to be?"

_"__You wouldn't __**dare**__,"_ Crosshairs growled menacingly.

"Oh _yes_ I would," Powertron responded. "So tell me, Optimus, which one will it be? Will you surrender? Or will you lose your mate?"

Everyone's eyes were focused upon the scene in front of them – and they noticed one thing that Powertron didn't. A small, shadowy figure was perched just beneath the knife blade socket Mentor used as his weapon, and was stealthily cutting something so delicately that when it broke Powertron, who was holding it, didn't notice that it had suddenly become a lot lighter and looser. The only one who _did_ notice this change was Mentor, who secretly nodded something to the shadowy figure.

Cade suddenly realized that the Decepticon with the flayed arm was gone. He looked around rapidly, but didn't see it anywhere. "Wrecker!" he hissed. "Wrecker, he's –"

"I know he's gone," Wrecker replied. "Keep watching and be ready to evac on my signal."

Cade turned his attention back to the scene unfolding in front of him. Powertron was growling, "Your time's running out, Optimus. Are you going to surrender, or are you going to lose your mate?"

"I will let him decide," Optimus finally said, heaving his shield to shoulder height. "This matter is not mine, but his. This does not matter to me."

Powertron looked confused. "What? I don't –"

Mentor let fly a yell and rolled onto his side, causing the socket to detach. Within seconds of rolling he kicked Powertron in the stomach. Powertron fell over backwards, allowing Mentor to scramble to his feet and run to the other end of the bridge, rushing behind his leader. "Burn in hell!" he retorted at Powertron. "Burn in hell, you excuse for a Transformer!"

As Powertron stood up, he spotted the small, shadowy figure standing in front of him. _"You,"_ he growled. "Why did you release him from me? Show me your face beneath your hood!"

The hood of the sweatshirt slid back to reveal a head of dark blonde hair. "I'm not going anywhere, Brono! Not while you throw my hometown under siege!" Mary's voice rang through the air.

"Well, you should have!" Powertron retorted, raising the detached socket and throwing it away. "Then you wouldn't be involved with an immortal god, soon to become god of your planet! Bow down, you pathetic being!"

"As far as I'm concerned, you're the god of bullshit!" Mary fired back. "And I'm not bowing before the god of total bullshit, you fat coward!"

"You will regret your words, foolish fleshling!" Powertron roared. He stretched a hand out to snatch her up. Mary, however, was too quick for him. She slashed his index finger and made a spectacular dive over the bridge, heading straight for the waters of the Grand River. Piercing the water and flying under, she surfaced and swam for the side... with the Autobots.

Above her, a furious Powertron began closing in on Optimus and Mentor. "I should have known you would call on your pets to fight for you!" he snarled. "Becoming a slave-owner, are we?!"

"Lay off, Brono!" Hound shouted, leading his last few comrades across a separate bridge. "You can do nothing here!"

A nefarious grin broke out on Powertron's face. "That's where you're wrong!" he cried, a sharp spike coming out of his knuckles. "It takes just one shot to kill someone, and I have yet to use it!"

"Cade – Tessa – in! Hurry! We're out of here!" Wrecker said, frantic.

The two humans sprang into the Falcon; the door slammed, and the vehicle took off. Noticing this, all of the Autobots transformed into their alternates and took off, following the Hummer as fast as they could go.

"Go, Mentor! Go with them! _Go!_" Optimus hissed. Not wanting to disobey, Mentor transformed and took off, following the other Autobots.

Powertron, meanwhile, was advancing on Optimus, who now stood alone against the massive force. "Give up, you fool!" he said greedily. "Your warriors have abandoned you!"

Unicron's voice thundered out over the massive city. "The battle is lost on your side even as you threaten him, Brono," he said, appearing out of the blue. "The forces that are my brother will stop you!"

But Powertron refused to listen. He raised his hand high for the strike. "Soon you shall face the same fate as your comrade!" he thundered.

_"__No he won't!"_ a new voice yelled aloud.

As Powertron drove his hand downward, someone pushed Optimus aside, and took for himself the fight that would have claimed Optimus' life.

"Take the girl and go!" the Autobot shouted, tussling hard to keep Powertron at bay. _"GO!"_

Optimus took the hint. He quickly became the truck – but held one door open. "Come on, kid! Let's go while we still can!" he called out.

A moment later, a wet girl scrambled into the driver's side. The door shut, and the truck followed the others, leaving the two battling Transformers and the city of Grand Rapids behind.

Sadly, Unicron watched as the Autobot was overpowered by Powertron, pinned – and finally executed. Powertron stood up from his dead opponent, and declared loud and proud, "The city is ours!"

The other Decepticons took up the cry. "The city is ours!" they yelled, broadcasting it loudly through the streets. "The city is ours! The city is ours!"

To himself, Unicron murmured, "Your own destruction is imminent, just like the one before you. Your destination is to hell's furnace." He kneeled on the ground and touched the dead Autobot. "You fought nobly, young one. Let my brother take you with honor in his heart and tears in his eyes. To Primus you shall go. Watch over our fight. Give us courage to go on. We will prevail!"

He turned away, and began walking in the direction of I-75, looking once back at the body with deep longing in his eye. Then he continued to walk. And he did not look back.

Unbeknownst to him, the body twitched. The eyes flashed blue. A soft voice whispered, "Give me reason not to die..."


	8. Chapter 8

It was evening when they all met up again – this time in the forests by Lake Michigan's shoreline. The Autobots were recovering from the tough battle they had just fought, and the humans were down at the lakeshore, skipping pebbles. After tossing a particularly bad stone, Cade asked, "Why the heck did you run off? You could have been killed by Brono!"

"I highly doubt it," Mary said, attempting to skip a stone and failing. "I've lived in Grand Rapids since I was a baby. I know the area like the back of my hand."

Tessa groaned, dropping the stone she was holding. "Wow, kid, wow," she said sarcastically. "So good to know you're a walking map. Does that explain why you were acting like a hero instead of being smart and hiding?!" she finished with scorn in her voice.

Mary gave another feasible attempt to skip a stone. "I wasn't acting, Tessa," she said, pausing to give her a brief glance. "If you heard the nuance in Brono's voice, you'd _know_ he wasn't going to keep his word."

"He wouldn't have kept it anyway," Cade commented. "I saw he had his fingers crossed behind his back. I'm willing to bet that if we did surrender he would have chosen Mentor as his first target, and wouldn't have spared any of us."

"Like that's even possible," Tessa said, rolling her eyes. "He'd probably make me his princess, and you" – she pointed at Mary – "his slave. I mean – seriously. You don't even deserve to be with us! Working with the Autobots is a privilege! Did you hear how he called you a pet!?"

To her utter dismay, Mary said, "No, actually, I didn't. I must have been underwater at the time." Turning towards the teen she added, "Why do you ask?"

Tessa couldn't hold back her anger. "Because that's exactly what you are!" she said, loudly and clearly. "You're a goddamn pet, for god's sake! This – is why – you don't deserve the privilege of helping the Autobots! You're just a pet! Nothing more!"

She stalked off haughtily, walking back into the forest. Cade shot one glance at Mary, and then hurried after her, leaving the junior standing there by the lakeshore. He caught up to his daughter rather quickly, grabbing her arm and making her whip around. "Why would you tell her that?" he demanded. "After all she, you, and me have been through! She is not a pet!"

"Yes she is!" Tessa retorted. "She is a pet of Jigsaw! _We_ are their major assets! They want _us_, not _her_!"

"They _do_ want her _and_ us!" Cade insisted. "You're just not seeing it!"

"Enough of your bickering!" Unicron's voice emerged from the trees. "What is so significant about this bicker fest? It never sent anyone anywhere!"

The two humans jumped as the Decepticon melted out of the trees. "What do you mean?" Tessa asked. "Are we going to lose her too?"

Unicron said, "You argue about how you are better than she is, yet you, Tessa, ran while she fought during battle. It is as the stars predicted – as well as the terrible price _we_ have had to pay."

Furious, Tessa stormed off; Cade soon took to running after her. Unicron sighed, and made his way down to the lakeshore. There, Mary remained, skipping stones across the shiny surface of water.

"I'm sorry," he said, catching her off guard. "I'm sorry about your loss."

Immediately Mary understood what he was saying. "Jigsaw's not coming back, is he? He's dead – killed by Brono, right?" she paused, a wave of shock coming over him. " Oh my god. It was him, wasn't it? It was _him_! _He_ pushed Optimus out of the way!"

"The lad stood no chance against that monster they call Powertron," Unicron said forlornly. "The only reason he took the fight was to give Optimus and yourself time to escape. Once you had, he had finished his purpose."

Mary swallowed uneasily. "I'll kill him," she said – first softly, and then gradually growing louder and louder until her voice rose to a roar. "I swear to god if I find that idiot I'm going to rip off his head and shove it right up his nuclear arsenal! _I'll kill him!_"

* * *

The night dawned over Grand Rapids as the Decepticons finished cleaning up. Powertron, upon seeing his minions finish, addressed them with cold words. "Have you rounded up all the fleshlings of this city?" he asked.

"Yes, my lord," Diehard said. "They are all cowering in the Ellis Parking Garage. They are so scared of us right now." He snickered. "So pathetically scared..."

"Good," Powertron said. He strode over to the building, where the city's residents were huddled within. He stopped to gaze at them with a malicious hunger in his eyes, hunger for power over their sick, weakly bodies.

"Now listen to this, you miserable excuses for humans," he said, watching as they all looked nervously at him. "You are all under my control now. There are no Autobots or their pets. There are only the Decepticons and myself. You either do as you're told, or you're killed. Are we on the same terms here?"

He watched as the humans nodded; then he went on. "Discipline will be administered, if it is completely necessary, by myself or one of the other Decepticons. No singing or dancing of any kind will be happening here, and if you're caught doing any of that, you'll be shot instantly. Is that clear?"

The humans nodded again. Then one of them shouted, "What if we're sick or something?"

"Doesn't matter if you're 'sick' or not; you're still working," Powertron growled. "Upshift will assign you all jobs to do. No whining about it; these are the rules."

He walked away, allowing Upshift to move in. "We have ourselves a lot of work to do in order to fully take over," he said to himself. "Powertron, you old dog, let's go do some work on that great mind of yours."

* * *

In the forest, the next morning wasn't a pretty one. Tessa was just as salty, sarcastic, and mean as she was the day before... probably meaner. Before it was even nine-thirty in the morning, she had spewed insults at Mentor and Crosshairs, taken a swing at her own father, and nearly hit Mary with a rock. The reason why she was doing all of this? She was furious that she hadn't been 'promoted' to a higher position, and that Mary was allowed to remain with them.

"Why the hell are you still here?!" she screeched at Mary. "You aren't allowed!"

"Give it a break, Tessa! Really!" Mary responded, setting her wet jacket on a tree branch to dry.

"Yes, do give it a break, Tessa!" Cade said, looking up from his cleaning of the campsite. "I've heard enough of your complaining."

Tessa grumbled to herself, picking up another rock and tossing it off into the trees. She looked away, pretending to focus on something else. Cade turned back to the meek cleanup job; Mary headed over to help him out. A moment later, Tessa attempted to throw another rock at Mary, who saw it coming and narrowly dodged it.

_"OW!"_ a different cry blasted the air as the rock smacked into someone metal. "Ow!" Brains repeated, sitting up, rubbing the back of his head. "Watch where you're throwing that, okay? That really hurt, dude! Jeezus!"

"You all right, Brains?" Mentor said, stepping out of the trees. "That's a wicked bump you have on your head."

"Blame this moron," Brains said, standing up off of where he was sleeping. "She threw a rock and it hit me. Don't know who her actual target was, but it hit me."

"It's not too bad. You'll be all right," Mentor said, taking a quick look at the mark where the rock hit.

"Easy for you to say," Tessa shot. "That teenager shouldn't be here! She should have died along with Jigsaw!"

"You shouldn't say that, Tessa!" Drift said, coming through the trees. "We all knew Jigsaw well, and Mary is like him in human form! If she's around, Jigsaw is still around. She stays!"

"No she doesn't!" Tessa said. "She's going!"

Mary growled under her breath, shaking her head. "Look, you moron, I'm not going anywhere! Brono's in my home city; he's murdered Jigsaw; and he nearly flayed Mentor! If you think I'm out of this mess you are so – dead – wrong! Until Brono is dead I am not going to leave! Once this war begins there is no turning back!"

"Then why don't you just die, you c-?" Tessa fired at her. "Why don't you just crawl off to hell, you little c-?"

Mary did not respond. Instead, she sprang over the log and walked in the directions from which the Autobots had come. Cade gave his daughter a long, stern look. Tessa, still sulking, headed out of the area and behind another tree.

"I'm no prophet, but something tells me sooner or later there's going to be a brawl between those two," Mentor said, watching the teenagers leave. "Thing is, what's she ever done to Tessa?"

"Beats me," Drift said, shrugging. "The drifts of anger can't be appeased by feelings of the flesh and bone."

For a half hour Mary wandered through the forest, not doing much of anything except kick a tree every couple minutes or so. Spotting a tall tree, she stopped and climbed it, allowing the sun's rays to shine down upon the emerald leaves. Everything seemed quiet... well, not entirely. Footsteps seemed to be following her. A few minutes after climbing the tree, the Autobots and Unicron entered the area, discussing intently about ways to take Brono out.

"It doesn't explain how he made his power grab so quickly," Wrecker was saying. "I mean – come on! Nobody blasts someone's face off! Who _does_ that?"

Unicron shook his head grimly. "The point is that Brono's hunger for power will ultimately be his undoing. We won't be able to stop him unless we can destroy him in the same way as the past," he explained. "And by that I mean in the same way that the _actual_ Powertron died."

"Something tells me that this is deeply personal," Crosshairs said. "If you don't want to tell it, mate, you don't have to. But that's your decision – not ours."

The Decepticon was hesitant to speak. "Powertron used to be one of the best fighters there was on my side, during the War. He spared no one when he was fighting. Then, overnight, everything changed. He attempted to kill me in my sleep. I caught him in the act, and at sunrise the next day, we put him to death... by fire."

He quit speaking, shaking his head. Hound said, "Brono must have taken the name due to the fact that he allegedly 'killed' you."

"All the same, the old Powertron died by fire," Optimus said. "We've all seen it before. Death by fire..." he shivered, recoiling with horrible memories. "One of the worst ways to go out if you ask me."

"That's the main reason we don't have bloody flamethrowers!" Wrecker groaned. "How are we supposed to burn him alive if we don't have flamethrowers?"

Brains spoke up. "I can probably locate one somewhere on this planet," he said. "But if we try to set him alight ourselves, he's going to notice rather quickly. We may have to send in someone to take a look around, see what's going on. Maybe the humans could do it."

"Aren't they back at the camp, though?" Megatron asked.

"Not all of them. I know Tessa ran off to the lakeside - but - hang on!" Bumblebee looked at the tree. "Come on down, kid."

As Mary shimmied down the tree, Mentor said, "How did you manage to set me free without Brono seeing you?"

"He wasn't focused on you at the time," Mary said. "I saw the opportunity, and I took it. I swear – he wasn't even _looking_ towards me when I slipped up behind him!" She paused, suddenly ashamed. "Sorry about overhearing."

Drift shrugged. "Does it matter? The thing that matters is if you're willing to help."

The girl shrugged. "Why not? There is no way I'm about to stand down after watching this nut crack wide open!"

Mentor asked, "Unicron, was it just normal fire?"

"Sort of," Unicron said. "We used a lighter to set him aflame. But when it reached his energon, he started burning a deep crimson color. The reason for this is that he had massive amounts of the element strontium in his veins. Brono, however, doesn't have any strontium. But that doesn't matter at the moment. We need to see what's going on in that city."

"Are you willing to help us out with this?" Megatron asked.

"You can bet I'm ready to see that bastard dead, and anything we can do to help take him down is a yes in our books," Mary said. "We're up for just about anything! What do you want us to do?"

"We need someone to go down into Grand Rapids and find out what Powertron is doing without being discovered," Wrecker said. "But we need that someone to remain there for quite a while – at least two hours or more. You know the city; I think it'll work. This is great, though! This is extremely great! Besides – we have a spy on the inside that will meet you downtown. I established contact with a Decepticon; I'll alert him to your coming."


	9. Chapter 9

Grand Rapids, early afternoon, around 1:00. Equilibrium watched as the humans filed out of the Ellis Parking Garage. He could see that a few were in agony – not from hunger, but from Powertron's "discipline". He felt greatly sympathetic for them, but right now, that was not his focus. He had a job to do, and a human to meet. The pressure and the stakes couldn't be higher.

Then he saw it: someone clad in simple clothes was darting from back alley to back alley, coming closer to him the entire time. Gradually the person stopped and looked up at him. He knelt on the ground, staring at the blunt green eyes beneath the mop of dark blonde hair.

"You are the ally?" he asked.

"Aye," the response was soft. "I am the ally."

Equilibrium stood up. "Follow me, but not too closely. I do not want suspicion to arise," he instructed. "There are four charges Upshift has generated in this city. The food rations are few and little. The water rations are bigger, thankfully, but by this time tomorrow supporters will be pouring in. So you need to see this."

He strode down the street, the person following a few steps behind. He paused at the main square, and pointed in four directions. "I suppose you know where the Van Andel Arena is? If so, be careful if you go down there. That's where Powertron mainly lurks."

"Thanks," the person said. "I am sure I will find my way around."

Equilibrium turned around and headed back to his post. The person, looking both ways, darted across the street and into another back alley. Noticing a payphone, she punched in a call.

"I'm in," Mary said. "From what I've been told, there are four factions. I'll head around to each one and then I'll slip out. Be ready, you two. It's about to go down."

* * *

At the camp, Tessa was throwing a _fit._ She was downright furious that she hadn't been chosen for the mission and Mary had been.

"Why did you have to choose her?!" she fired at the Transformers. "Why her?! She's trash, and you know it!"

"Calm down, Tessa!" Crosshairs said persistently. "There's not much you can do about it right now!"

"Goddammit, why do you have to pick her, though?!" Tessa fired. "Tell me that! She's useless with us! I'm much better than she is!"

Deep sighs echoed around the group. Cade made his own argument. "Tessa, if you wanted to participate in this, then you should have gone and found them before they chose her."

"Well, why not?!" Tessa shot at him. "Why not me?! That kid's just a pet! I'm – their freakin' – princess, for crying out loud!"

Wrong choice of words. An outrage was sparked. Brains was probably the maddest out of everyone there, and it was _not_ from the rock. "There are no pets or princesses or anything like that!" he thundered. "Everyone is created equally upon this planet! Just because you were not chosen doesn't mean she is liked more than you are, Yeager! It makes no bloody difference!"

"Brains is right," Optimus stated. "Equality is more important than being seen as 'higher' over someone else. Neither you nor Mary are seen as 'princesses' when it comes to our eyes. There is none of that as far as we're concerned. Everyone is equal. There are no 'higher' beings."

"How the hell can you say that when you lead the Autobots, you maniac?!" Tessa shot at him.

The gaze Optimus shot back could have frozen the lake and turned one to solid stone. _"I do not think of it that way,"_ he said sternly. "If you lived on Cybertron as long as I have, then you would understand why you think the way you do. But you live here. You have lived all your life here, proving your ignorance to how you think, how you see the other humans. We think differently than you do, not just because we lived on a different planet, but because it was how Primus – the first Transformer _and_ the creator of Cybertron – thought."

"What does that have to do with me and that teenager?" Tessa asked, now confused. "Doesn't she think like me?"

"No," Optimus said. "Drift can tell you why."

He moved aside, allowing Drift to speak. "Jigsaw was so strong because he was not a follower. He was a leader. It was his way of thinking."

Crosshairs cut in. "Definitely," he said. "He followed nobody when it came to groups. It's how we all bonded so well with him. He wouldn't hesitate to lead when nobody out of all of us would."

Drift nodded. "Before all of this happened, he told me that the girl who was driving the alternate thought the exact same way. She thought the same way as he did; not a follower, but a leader."

"Big freaking deal!" Tessa began.

Cade was quick to intervene. He asked, "So the reason she bonded with him so well is because they were both leaders?"

"Exactly," Brains said, popping up behind Drift. "Hold still, mate; there's something loose back here."

Cade looked a little baffled. "Wow. That explains a lot," he said, scratching his head. "I was wondering why she was so bold... and so fun to be around too, what with all those odd quirks!"

Tessa looked even _more_ confused now. "I don't understand!" she protested. "Why would it make any difference? Just because someone thinks in another way doesn't mean they aren't favored more!"

"Tess, I don't reckon you're seeing how they do it," Cade said. "My guess is that Mary must think along the same lines as the Autobots. That's why she agrees with so much of what they say. They're alike in the way their minds work. It doesn't have anything to do with favoritism. They just think the same!"

Now realizing what this meant, Tessa's gaze jumped from Drift to Crosshairs to Brains to Optimus. "So... you don't favor her over me?" she asked.

"We never have," Optimus said. "We find everyone as equal."

Tessa practically _exploded_ with rage. "You're all idiots!" she yelled. "All of you!" She stormed off, leaving the stunned Autobots and Cade behind.

"Um, guys? What did we do?" Brains asked, puzzled.

Nobody could answer his question.

* * *

The night in Grand Rapids started to drag close to home. Every two hours Mary would switch around to each station, see what was going on. However, around eight, she noticed that everyone was going back to the Ellis Parking Garage. Remaining in the shadows, she followed everyone back to the Garage. Noticing Equilibrium rounding them up, she flashed him a thumbs-up and slipped closer.

Equilibrium herded the last of the people into the Garage, giving a single poke to a straggler. His attention then turned to the teenager, and as he looked at her another Decepticon tripped behind him. Scrambling to his feet, the Decepticon stood up to join his mate.

"Dude," Equilibrium said, "you've broken something on the back of your ankle."

"Crap!" the Decepticon groaned. "A place I can't reach." Spotting Mary, he said, "Hey kid! Do you mind?"

The girl shook her head, running to the back ankle of the Decepticon. Spotting an open vein, she noticed an almost-empty matchbox on the ground nearby. Seizing it, she lit the very last match in the box, watching as the phosphorus burned – and dropped it within the vein. Then she broke into a run and scrambled towards the edge of the city.

Seconds later, flames erupted through the Decepticon's veins. "AAH!" he yelled. "I'm on fire! I'm on fire! Someone put me out!"

"RUN!" Equilibrium yelled.

He didn't have to yell, as Mary was already gone, running like a bullet to exit the city. Her work was done. Now it was time to escape; the dying Decepticon's cries were alerting more Decepticons to the scene. Narrowly dodging them, she crossed the bridge and scrambled into another alley.

"We need to go! Now!" she insisted, bolting towards an Oshkosh Military Vehicle.

The passenger door opened. "Where's the fire?" Hound asked. "More appropriately – what did you _do_?"

"Set one on fire," Mary responded, panting. " I saw the factions – Powertron's up to something big! Let's go! GO!"

"You _what?!_" the Ford Falcon said. "You set one on fire?!"

"Not now, Wrecker, we need to go – the Decepticons are out," Hound said urgently. "Let's move!"

The two cars rolled out of the alley, hitting the road and speeding towards their base camp, the final screams of the Decepticon ringing in the air. As they left, they could hear the roars of Powertron as he appeared from the crowd watching the burning.

"What the blazes is going on here?!" the yells of Powertron broke the air.

The Decepticons moved aside to allow their leader to come through. Upon seeing the burned, destroyed body, Powertron started. He rounded on Equilibrium. "What happened? How did he become this way?"

Equilibrium fired back, "If you're thinking I had something to do with Foxtrot's death, you're mistaken! All I saw was something break off his ankle, and that must have caused him to erupt in flames! That's it! I had nothing to do with it!"

Powertron turned around slowly, his eyes falling on everyone there. His poisonous tone returned as he spoke. "Then if it wasn't Equilibrium, who was it?" he asked.

Then he eyed the humans, who were nervously huddled in the back of the garage levels. "Did any of _you_ have anything to do with it?" he asked.

The humans shook their heads no. They were all scared beyond belief.

Another Decepticon spoke up. "My lord? They won't say anything anyway, for fear of losing their lives. Threats will not make a difference."

"What makes you so sure about that, Rockslide?" Powertron growled, rounding on him.

Rockslide responded, "Your so-called 'discipline' has them scared straight. You scare them so much that they can't speak at all. Which is the same way you have us!"

Powertron's answer was to shoot a human. Then he and the other Decepticons left, leaving Rockslide and Equilibrium with the metal corpse.

"The whole world went to hell when he shot Unicron," Rockslide grumbled. "If he hadn't done so we wouldn't be in this bloody mess!"

"I agree," Equilibrium said, shoving the corpse aside. "The Autobots might have found him; he really wasn't dead, you know."

Rockslide started. "Not dead?!" he looked at Equilibrium. "Are you serious?"

"Dead serious. His spark wasn't extinguished. He's alive," Equilibrium said. "We're something to hope for, mate."

"Good. Powertron hopefully won't stay around much longer," Rockslide said grimly. "Not if we - and the Autobots - can help it."

* * *

Base camp was almost silent. The only ones awake when the trio returned were Unicron, Optimus, and Cade.

"You made it!" Cade cried upon seeing the three of them. "How'd it go?"

Mary flashed a thumbs-up. "Completely and utterly nailed it! But let's just say that he's a very crazy person. In fact, they are all _extremely_ drunk with power."

"Brilliant work, you three," Unicron said. "Do we have all the information we need about their plans? We know it's late, but we need to know."

"Every single one," Hound said. "But – omigod, you _have_ to hear this. On the way out, she set one of those dudes on fire! I'm not even kidding!"

Just behind them, Wrecker yawned. "I say we all hit the sack. I don't know about you, but I'm wiped out!"

"Come on then, you two," Unicron said. "I'll show you where you're sleeping. Optimus – you show your comrades where the others are. Perhaps tomorrow we'll have a less stressful morning."


	10. Chapter 10

The city: Hong Kong, the dead of night. In front of the company KSI, an artificial stood there, standing guard over the building. He watched with sourness in his eyes. He hated this job. If there was something he hated, it had to be the night watch. But he'd do it. He'd do anything to please his boss, and anything to receive a weapons upgrade.

He looked around the city, not noticing anything out of the ordinary. A car passed by him; he ignored it, constantly watching the area. What he didn't realize, however, was that he should have paid attention to that car. Out of his sight, the car transformed, becoming an Autobot. The Autobot had a plan to regroup with his mates. But this plan would take a seriously high risk. He had to kill off the one guarding KSI, had to infiltrate the fakes if he was going to pull this off.

The Autobot crept up behind the fake. Ever so quietly, he reached around from the back and seized the fake by the neck and mouth. The fake struggled, trying to break free, but the Autobot wouldn't have it. He hauled the fake out of the city, down to the waterfront a few miles away, and – snapped the fake's neck, killing him instantly.

The Autobot dropped the fake on the ground, and examined him closely. The fake went by the name Woody, and he looked somewhat different than a normal Transformer, but this was the way to go. The Autobot shivered for a very brief moment; within the next couple seconds, he had _become_ the fake. He had taken on the shape of the fake. He was ready. If he was discovered now, he was no better than _dead_. He dumped the fake into the ocean, hurling him a good distance so the fake wouldn't be found. Then he returned to KSI, standing guard outside the gate.

"I _will_ return to them!" he said softly. "I _will_ return!"

* * *

In Michigan, the next morning was _anything_ but less stressful. Tessa, upon discovering Mary had returned, attempted to steal the teen's Swiss Army knife. When that failed, she went after the junior with a sharp chunk of stone. Mary was forced to scale a tree in order to escape her attacker. In the end, Megatron broke the two of them up... mainly because they were about to move out.

With Cade in Bumblebee, Tessa with Drift, Mary in Crosshairs, and Brains with Mentor, they left their woodland camp and made their way towards I-96. Megatron and Unicron flew overhead, making surveillance runs over Grand Rapids, gathering information on the city's situation.

They traveled for an hour before stopping just outside the lakeside town of Muskegon. It was here that they stopped; reason being they were not too far from Grand Rapids, and only a mile away from Muskegon.

Around noon, the two allies dropped out of the sky, startling the group. Mentor was undeterred. "What's it look like?" he asked. "Is it bad or..."

Megatron's response was grim. "It's very bad," he said. "If we manage to survive this, it will be out of luck."

"More supporters of Brono pour in each hour," Unicron said glumly. "Before you ask, the supporters are both human _and_ Decepticon. It all adds up to hell."

"Has your brother told you anything?" Hound asked. The look on Unicron's face made him rethink his question. "Sorry, sorry – forget I asked."

"Who all's coming?" Cade asked.

"Believe me, you _don't_ want to know," Megatron said. "In the best case scenario we're all still alive, but nowhere near here. Worst case scenario – Brono takes over the whole universe and we perish by the thousand."

Bumblebee stamped his foot in anger. "This isn't good at all! Sooner or later, something has to give, and that something must _not_ be us! If we fall the Earth is doomed. And not just Earth, but the whole galaxy as well."

"We're doomed," Wrecker moaned, burying his head in his hands. "Humanity is doomed. We're all dead. There is no escape."

A moment later, Hound slugged him. "You keep that attitude up, you'll be the one that's dead," Hound growled. "No, that's not a threat. It's a fact, the truth! You know that as well as I do, Wrecker."

"Oh come on, Hound, lay off!" Wrecker protested.

The Autobots spoke among themselves, allowing the humans to walk off and hold their own discussion. Walking to the lakeshore, the three of them sat on boulders by the crashing waves.

"We obviously can't do anything to help them," Tessa said, placing her hands in her lap. "This isn't our war. Why are we even bothering to help them?"

Cade shrugged. "I'm supporting Bumblebee, that's all," he said. "You have a reason?"

"It's just a question," Tessa said earnestly. "I don't have anything to lose by helping them, aside from my life." She looked at Mary. "What about you? Do you have a reason?"

Mary's response was cold and dignified. "Revenge and justice," she said.

"How is that a reason?" Cade asked. "Wait – Jigsaw's dead, so..."

"Wouldn't you want revenge and justice for someone you cared about?" Mary responded. "Brono killed Jigsaw, but only because Jigsaw sacrificed himself to ensure Optimus remained alive. He died a tragic yet noble death, and his sacrifice will not be in vain for nothing!"

"How is it a blimmin' sacrifice?" Tessa commented. "Oh, and can we talk?"

"We already are," Mary said. "What about?"

Tessa heaved a deep breath. "How come you always do your own thing around us, but obey commands around them? You're younger than we are, so shouldn't you be following us?"

"I follow nobody except authority," Mary snapped. "You're foolish to think I'd follow someone like you."

Tessa was silent for a minute more. Then she said, "So you're planning on killing me then?"

_"__What?"_ Mary said. Then her eyes widened. She scrambled off the rock, all her energy and attention focused on Tessa.

The daughter was holding the Swiss Army knife, a ruthless look in her eyes as she advanced on the junior. "You're planning to kill me," she said, her voice tingling with poison. "Kill me and you'd have the Autobots to yourself. Isn't that your goal? You want everything, but it won't happen unless I die. Isn't that right?"

"Tessa - Tessa, what are you doing?" Cade said, leaping to his feet. "Put the knife down!"

His daughter didn't hear her, but continued to advance on Mary. A cruel smile played her face. "You just want me to die, don't you? Then you'd have everything and whatever you want afterward. All yours after I die, right?"

"Tessa, stop!" Cade yelled. "Put the knife down!"

But there was no stopping her now. "Well, guess what," she said greedily. "Your little plan backfired now. I know about it, and I'm going to stop you."

A new determination flashed suddenly in Mary's eyes. She began to circle around, being careful where she stepped. "Cade, go find the others. Hurry," she instructed. "All hell's about to break loose."

Cade turned tail and ran for the Autobots. An instant later, Tessa attacked.

She raised the knife behind her and lunged, swinging it down. Mary's hand was quickly at her wrist, and twisted around, narrowly missing the blade. Tessa spun around, now furious.

"You little c-!" she snarled, reaching for Mary's throat. "I'll gut you!"

She lunged again, shoving Mary to the ground. The junior struck back, kicking furiously to shove her off. Success was given; Mary scrambled to her feet – to be jabbed in the forearm by Tessa. Letting a yell fly, Mary wrenched her arm free of the blade, lashing out with a kick to the girl's legs. She backed away, blood oozing from the knife wound.

Tessa roared, pushing after Mary, blood dripping from the knife blade. "Why won't you just die, you little bitch?!" she snarled. "It's _my_ turn for affection!"

"It's not mine to die!" Mary shouted.

Suddenly Tessa was on top of her again, this time across her chest. She raised the knife to dagger height, preparing for the kill. "Soon, nobody will believe you were ever alive," she snarled. "You will never be seen when I'm through with your lifeless body!" On the last words, she plunged the knife downward.

The knife's descent was stopped short. Mary's hands, undamaged, flew upwards and pushed hard against Tessa's hands. "If you _do_ have a body to destroy!" Mary snarled back, gritting her teeth.

They struggled for several minutes, trying to force the knife in a different direction. If there were ever a battle of the femme fatale, this would most certainly be it. But the blood flowing from the stab wound was slowly weakening Mary, who pretended not to notice.

"Your life is worthless!" Tessa growled. "You weaken with every second!"

"Your fight is in vain for nothing!" Mary shot back.

They tussled for a minute more before Tessa finally yanked the knife free. She slashed the wound, making it bigger, and causing it to bleed more.

Mary screamed aloud.

The knife flew upwards, now absolutely _covered_ in blood. Blood splashed onto Tessa's clothes and hands. The blood seemed to excite her, and a psychopathically evil smile broke out on her face.

_"__It's my turn!"_ Tessa cried triumphantly.

But before she could strike the final blow, someone came up from behind and hauled her off Mary's body. A minute later, Mentor approached and helped the wounded junior to her feet.

"Let me go!" Tessa argued, struggling against her captor. "Let me go! I was about to do you lot a huge favor –"

_"__YOU CALL KILLING HER A FAVOR!?"_ a yell echoed through the air.

It was Brains. He had leapt down from Mentor's shoulder, and was now staring at Tessa in the face, pure rage in his eyes. "You, Yeager, are heartless! You are absolutely heartless! Trying to kill an ally of ours!"

"She is no ally! She's a killer!" Tessa roared. "She attacked me!"

_"__Enough!"_ The voices of Unicron, Megatron, and Optimus broke the air. More Autobots spilled onto the rocky beach. One of them, Hound, was in his alternate form.

Unicron stepped towards the Transformer holding Tessa. "Good thing you showed up, Equilibrium," he said.

"I agree, my lord," the Decepticon answered. "Rockslide stayed back to act as a spy for us."

Unicron nodded. Then he rounded on Tessa. "Your father fetched us," he growled. "As Brains said, you are heartless! Attacking another to have everything you allegedly want!"

Tessa didn't say anything... at first. Then she said, "I hope she bleeds to death."

"Bring her here," Hound said, opening the back of the vehicle. "You'll be staying here until we learn if Mary's condition will be stabilized."

While Equilibrium did so, a transforming noise alerted the Autobots to the fact that Mentor was leaving. "Her wounds – it'll take more than bandages to fix this," he said. "I'm taking her into town. Be back ASAP."

With that, he drove off, leaving the others behind.

"I thought you were with Brono," Cade commented to Equilibrium.

"I was before he went bad," Equilibrium said. "When he went bad I decided I'd better find you guys. Brono is dangerous, and until he dies, the fate of this planet and the next is the devil's graveyard."

"The devil's graveyard?" Cade asked. "What does that mean?"

Equilibrium nodded. "By that I mean the furnaces of hell, the punishing ground. My buddy Rockslide is trying to come up with a way to smuggle us back in undetected. 'Course, he isn't here; he's also acting as a spy for us."

Wrecker cut in. "Are you sure we can trust you?" he demanded. "How do we know you're not a spy yourself?"

"I have followed my lord Unicron since his resurrection," Equilibrium said. "Brono is my sworn enemy. I have a bone to pick with him anyway – he was the imbecile who flayed my arm."

Cade made the connection quick. "That day at the battle – Wrecker was helping _you!_"

Equilibrium nodded. "He was asking me to help their cause. I could not say no, with lives at stake. If Brono saw me he'd know something was up. So I had to leave like that."

"That just about answers everything," Wrecker said. "Except one – how did you know about the scuffle?"

"I couldn't help but overhear it," the Decepticon said simply. "Enough questions. The first concern is why this attack happened."


	11. Chapter 11

Grand Rapids had rapidly become the bad-guy base for Powertron and his crew. As Powertron gazed over his followers, he saw the orange eyes flare with excitement. Now, he knew, they had to be buttered up into fighting, into staying on his side. He also knew just how to do it.

He raised his hand for silence. "So now, my friends," he began, "you all know why you are here. You've come to be rid of those foul-mouthed Autobots and their pets. But that is not all we are planning on.

"You come here because you want to be rid of the government that controls you, is that right?"

Cheers and yells filled the air. "What is it that the government and the Autobots have in common?" he asked. Without waiting for an answer he plowed on. "They cheat you out of what you deserve! They treat you like pets! They take you for fools!"

With each declaration the cheers would come. "Under a new command, your voice will be heard! It is the reason why we have come: strong enough to decimate other worlds!" he declared loudly. "And with your support, the government you once feared so much will be taken down within days! But! Yes but – before the government can go down, we have to remove the foolish Autobots we all fear."

Silence plummeted upon the group. Powertron continued his massive speech. "Yes, the Autobots have to be taken care of first. Why them first? Well, consider this simple fact: if they defeat us, they'll take over, and you'll be come their pets."

In the way back of the crowd, Rockslide slipped away from it. He didn't want to listen to any more lies. He hurried to the riverside, sliding up on a bridge. He gave a series of low whistles.

A minute passed. Then five. Then ten. Finally, after fifteen minutes (during which Powertron drolled on) a set of eyes appeared under the water. "He's grown up fast," Rockslide commented to himself. He gave a low whistle.

A snout with rows of teeth slid out of the water. The metal plates upon it flattened in the cloudy sky. The jaws spread open slowly to reveal another row of teeth. Yet the eyes remained beneath the water, a bright, clear, solid green.

"Clunk?" Rockslide asked, being careful as ever to keep his voice down. He reached a hand towards the water.

The snout, upon hearing this name, slid into the crest of his palm. A low growl escalated from within the open jaws.

"I know," Rockslide said. "I know. Listen; can you still carry our kind without hurting them? It's essential."

The growl became softer.

"Good," Rockslide said. "Here's the problem."

But there was no need to explain. Another growl escalated from the beast beneath the water. A ripple went through the beast, and it grew even bigger.

"Good boy, Clunk," Rockslide said. "Good boy."

A new voice made him jump. "I see you're still with him."

Rockslide looked up. "Bracken! Jeezus H, you scared me!"

"My bad," Bracken said, adjusting the red bandana around his head. "Whatever Brono's planning I want none of it."

"Neither do I," Rockslide said. "So I'm sending Clunk to smuggle Equilibrium back."

"Let me go with him, explain the situation," Bracken said. "But – don't you have a plan for all this? You're just sending him in?"

Rockslide shook his head. "Equilibrium is currently with them," he said. "When he has a plan, he will notify me. Otherwise, he is to stay out of sight."

"I see," Bracken said, looking at Clunk and then at his companion.

"Bracken! Rockslide! What are you two doing over there?"

The two Decepticons looked back to see Powertron's eyes bearing down on them. Bracken dared to speak. "What does it look like we are doing over here?" he said boldly. "We are talking. Is it a crime now for the undead to talk to the not dead?"

"Don't you talk back to me!" Powertron growled. He turned to Rockslide. "Do you have an answer for me?"

Bracken, however, spoke up again. "All we were doing was talking," he said. "If there were any concern, then I would have told you by now. But there is no concern, so you do not have to worry."

Powertron eyed them both suspiciously. "Truly you say that as a means to act like nothing's wrong," he said. "You're not fooling me one bit. What are you two up to?" He stepped out onto the bridge – and noticed the snout sticking out of the water. "That's not a Transformer, is it?"

"Yes," Rockslide answered.

"How is that possible? Him in the water, I mean. How?"

"If he doesn't spend time in the water, he shall die on land," Rockslide said grimly. "He is tough enough to survive in water. In his energon configuration there is a change: he has the chemical configuration of water, enabling his water invincibility. It is because of this that he can live there. It's rare, but it's common for size shifters."

Powertron smirked and walked off. The moment he was out of sight, the beast stuck his entire jaw out of the water and opened. Bracken took one look at Rockslide, nodded, and jumped into the open maw, lying within the waterproof shell, holding on for dear life. The jaws closed and vanished back under the water. Stealthily, the beast swam off, leaving no trace of it ever being there. Rockslide took a deep breath, and silently prayed for their safety.

"Brono's gone mad with power," he murmured. "The sooner he dies, the better." He turned around, and walked away.

* * *

Location: Muskegon, 42 miles away. The Autobots, Decepticon allies, and humans stood on the beach, shaken from the flying ones' report. It didn't seem like those in Grand Rapids knew where they were... which was lucky. Then, out of the blue, Tessa let out a scream.

"What is it?" Cade asked, running to her side.

"Something's in the water!" Tessa shrieked, pointing towards the cold lake water. "I swear I saw something move in the water!"

Cautiously, everyone backed away from the water, wondering what it could be that scared her so much. Equilibrium was not dazed, though he was nervous. He slowly walked towards the water – and a massive grin broke out on his face. He cupped his hands and shouted, "Good work, Clunk! You found us! Come on up on the bank, buddy! That's a good boy!"

A crocodile-like Transformer climbed up onto the beach. His entire body was smooth metal, covered by thick bumps like the skin of a _real_ crocodile. His snout had very jagged teeth on both sides, and a thin waterproof filament covered his striking green eyes. His jaws opened steadily, and Bracken climbed out from within the gaping maw. "Good boy, Clunk," he said, rubbing the Transformer's snout as the jaws closed.

_"Bracken?!"_ Brains said, shocked to see his old comrade standing before him. "But – how – weren't you – what – how are you _alive_!?"

The undead Autobot laughed. "Yes, you saw me killed by Diehard," he said. "Let's just say that the way I've returned is the main reason why I've come."

"How do you know him?" Tessa asked Brains softly.

"He was once a Decepticon, like I was," the drone responded. "When Cybertron was threatened, he teamed up with Optimus before I did, and he came here around the same time I did. We had a falling out about it, and he was killed by Megatron."

"What brings you here, mate?" Equilibrium asked his old mate, clapping him on the back. "And how come you're alive again?"

Bracken's face became serious. "Brono has taken his motives too far. He's raising the dead to be part of his alliance – those he's raising are mainly fallen Autobots and Decepticons like myself. How he's doing it – I honestly don't know."

_"He's WHAT!?"_ everyone gasped. At the same moment, Unicron crashed to the ground, eye tightly shut as he writhed and twisted. Noticing this rapidly, Crosshairs and Drift heaved him upright against the side of Clunk's jaw, fighting to keep the Decepticon still.

"Someone find Mentor!" Drift cried. "Someone do so, and hurry!"

"I'm here, I'm here!" Mentor responded, sprinting out from within the trees, the junior at his side. "Thank heavens there was a center nearby! What the heck happened here?" Without waiting for an answer he knelt at Unicron's side, studying him carefully. "He's having another vision. I doubt if he can hear us, but we can try."

Wrecker said, standing behind Crosshairs, "Unicron? Unicron, can you hear us? Are you okay?"

But Unicron didn't answer. His eye remained tightly shut; his mouth remained firmly closed. He didn't move a muscle, even when Clunk shifted slightly. He didn't move at all.

"Is he all right?" Megatron asked.

"Oh my go – didn't you _listen_? I _just_ freaking said he's having another vision," Mentor said, standing up briefly. "He won't respond to anything we do until he comes out of the trance. If we want to talk to him, we'll have to wait for him to wake up. It will be easier than trying to talk to him like this."

They only had to wait for a minute before Unicron stirred. But what happened was something none of them were expecting. His eye remained shut, but his mouth opened, and he began to speak in a strangled sort of voice. "No... it's impossible... how can they be there... no... no... I won't let you do this!" His voice grew louder. _"I won't let you do this!"_

"We've heard enough! Wake him up!" Optimus ordered.

Without warning anyone Hound started whacking Unicron on the head. "Wake up, you filthy excuse for a Transformer!" he demanded, continuing to hit the Decepticon. "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! _WAKE! UP!_"

Finally, Unicron's eye shot open as he reached up to stop Hound's antics. He was breathing shallowly as if he were afraid of something. He looked around nervously; upon realizing where he was, he relaxed. "Do me a favor, Hound, and don't _ever _do that again," he said, reaching for a handheld to pull himself up.

"You all right?" Mentor asked, hurrying to steady him. "You threw us for a mighty good loop there."

Unicron shook his head. "Bracken is right," he said, using Clunk's snout to balance. "Brono has _indeed_ raised the undead; my brother has just shown me how. He has the Dark Spark in his chest, and it is _that_ that he is using to raise the dead. He has also flayed an undead to the point that the undead died again. He's vying to search for something to make heirs to his so-called 'empire', and he has plans to acquire more power than predicted last."

"What's he searching for?" Megatron asked.

"He's searching..." Unicron said faintly, shutting his one eye briefly. "Oh dear god... There's an egg he's searching for, an egg containing two bodies. He's nicknamed them 'Newborn Sparks'."

A gasp escaped from Drift's mouth. "Newborn Sparks!?" he cried, aghast at this series of news. "He cannot be serious! He cannot be!"

Unicron nodded. "He's dead serious, Drift. He believes he'll become fully immortal if he can acquire the egg, and he'll also have complete control over the direct descendants of my brother."

"Then we must rip that Dark Spark from his chest and destroy it!" Wrecker said triumphantly, fist-pumping the air.

This gesture was ended by a whack on the shoulder from Megatron. "Idiot! Have you no sense in that mind of yours?" he growled. "If we go after the Dark Spark we are all dead! The Dark Spark is too dangerous an object to destroy! If we did attempt to destroy it we'd be dead in the water! Besides, it's not the Dark Spark that's our current focus!"

"Then what the hell are we supposed to do?!" Wrecker protested. "If he finds those Newborn Sparks we're all dead!"

"We could just hide" Tessa suggested. "I'm sure there's a place where we could hide – everyone included." She opened her mouth to speak again, but Cade quickly cut her off.

Shaking his head, he said, "Hiding won't do us any good, Tess. They'll find us for sure, and then we're absolute toast. Not just us, but the whole universe as well."

"Unicron, what are these... these Newborn Sparks you mentioned?" Mary asked, pushing the corner of her sweatshirt over the bandage on her forearm. "From Drift's sudden reaction they must mean something of mysterious powers."

Before Unicron could answer, the sounds of Clunk sliding back into the water broke the air. They turned to see both Equilibrium and Bracken within Clunk's maw.

"Rockslide needs our help!" Bracken called out. "So we're heading back to give him a hand! He won't be the only spy you guys have!"

With that, the three vanished. Unicron began to speak. "The Newborn Sparks are of Primus' descent," he explained. "They contain more power than the Matrix _and_ the Allspark. In the wrong hands, the Newborn Sparks are power-seekers. In the right hands, they are courageous and noble beings. My brother sent them here a long time ago, in order to help them escape destruction on our home planet."

"So... what do we do?" Cade asked. "If we go after the Sparks, we're still dead. Brono's brought up a ton of undead beings to serve as his army, and how many of us are there? I think... yes... there's a ton of him and only eleven of us. Well, technically, there are eight, seeing as us humans aren't very much helpful in the thick of battle."

"There was more than just the Sparks I saw in the vision," Unicron said. "By raising the dead, Brono's army has become large and powerful. From those calculations, we will need more allies than just who we have now if we choose to engage."

"Where can we find more allies?" Tessa dared to ask. "Everyone's on Brono's side. There's nobody we can turn to – human _or_ Transformer."

For a couple minutes, nobody spoke. They were all considering Tessa's bold predicament.

Optimus was the one who broke the silence. "Grimlock!"

"Who?" Mary asked.

A smile spread over Cade's face. "I remember him! Boy was he fierce!"

Crosshairs snapped his fingers. "Strafe! Slug! Scorn! How did we forget about them?" he declared. "The entire time we're standing here we forget about them! How can we do that to old allies?!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. First of all, who the hell are Grimlock, Strafe, Slug, and Scorn?" Tessa argued. "Secondly, everyone's on Brono's side!"

"That's where you're wrong!" Crosshairs said. "I'm surprised you don't remember them, Tessa. Mary I can understand; she hasn't met them. The last time we fought against the Decepticons, we had support from those known as the Dinobots. The leader's name is Grimlock; he bonded with Optimus quite well. Slug bonded with Drift; Scorn bonded with me... I forget about Strafe."

"If we can find them, we can gain our old allies once again," Bumblebee said. "That's brilliant thinking! With them, there are fifteen of us – counting humans! And technically the Dinobots are the equivalent of _five_ Autobots or Decepticons, so times them by four... once we find them there will be _thirty-five of us!_"

"So where does that leave us?" Cade asked.

Mentor spoke up. "If and when Brono gains possession of the Newborn Sparks, we must counter by find the Allspark and the Matrix of Leadership, and make sure that they are safe in their hiding places. But we can't go around in a massive group; if we did that, we'd attract unwanted attention. I suggest we split up into groups – one to find our former allies, one to find the Allspark, and one to find the Matrix of Leadership. If the last two are already with us, then we do not have to worry about them. When we finish with that, we'll start our search for the Sparks."

"Well spoken, Mentor. Well spoken," Wrecker said.

So it was that they broke up into groups: Optimus, Drift, Crosshairs, and Mary would seek out the Dinobots; Unicron, Wrecker, Hound and Tessa were to find the Matrix of Leadership; and Megatron, Brains, Bumblebee, and Cade were to seek out the Allspark. If any of the groups were to find the Newborn Sparks, they were to warn the others and gather them up.

"What about you, Mentor?" Cade asked.

"I'm headed to Cybertron to find more allies," Mentor said, a jetpack forming on his back. "And to warn them about the coming war. If Brono's building up an army then we'll need to warn the others!"

As he took off into the air, the others became their alternates and drove off in different directions. (Well, the Decepticons flew, not drove) Finding the Matrix, Allspark, and the Dinobots were now their main priority. The army of Powertron must not find them first!


	12. Chapter 12

"Anything on those Newborn Sparks yet?" Powertron thundered. "I want an answer, you idiots, not silence!"

"No, my lord, nothing yet! We'll let you know as soon as we have something!" Diehard responded, turning back to the crew of humans he was working with.

Powertron snorted, grumbling under his breath. "Well tell them to hurry the heck up! The sooner we find those Newborn Sparks the better off we all are!"

"My lord, if I may intrude?" another Decepticon said, stepping forward. "We are about to initiate the fallen Autobots into Decepticons. They are all excited to join the army!"

"Good, good," Powertron said, rubbings his hands together and smirking greatly. "This is working out perfectly!" He began to laugh a crazy, metallic, evil laugh.

This laughter was quickly cut short by an outburst of rage clearly heard through the city. "Goddammit, I will _not_! Take your filthy hands off of me!"

Powertron, confused, hurried to the scene of the outburst, discovering an Autobot and Upshift spitting crap at each other. "_What_ is going on here?!" he asked.

"This insolent maggot refuses to become one of us," Upshift growled. "I have been attempting to force him into submission, but he constantly refuses to obey my commands."

The great Decepticon leader turned his gaze to focus on the undead Autobot before him. "What's your name?" he inquired. "What is it?"

"Pengweng," the Autobot responded. "I've believed it to be Chinese."

"Well, _Pengweng_," Powertron sneered, "tell me now – why do you reject becoming a Decepticon? Do you not like them, or is there a different reason you refuse to submit to our power?"

Pengweng's retort was instant. "You had no right to raise me from my slumber!" he shot back. "The dead must stay dead, stay buried in the ground, not come alive again to do an evil one's bidding!"

"You _are_ wanted here," Powertron said earnestly.

But Pengweng shook his head no. "I will not submit to you, Brono," he growled. "Find someone else to do your dirty work _and_ your bidding. Great Primus will show you your place come your death! Rot – in – hell!"

With that final comment being said, he stabbed himself in the chest and fell to the ground, energon spewing out of his chest. An instant later, he was dead once again.

A sudden and strange look came over Powertron's face. "Lead them away," he commanded Upshift. "I will dispose of the body."

A perplexed look came over Upshift as he led the other undead away. The moment the lot of them were gone, Powertron knelt and bent over the body, watching the energon pour out from the wound. He watched greedily, his hunger steadily rising like liquid in a test tube. Then – like a vampire bat, he began to _drink_ the energon.

"This is the way to immortality," he thought. "This is the way to freedom from death's clutches. I will be immortal! I shall be immortal! I – am – a – god!"

He stood up, energon dripping from his lower lip, and as his head rose towards the sky, a deep, echoing laugh came roaring up from within his throat. There was nothing that could stop him on his rise to power! Absolutely nothing! Well, hang on... he still had the Autobots to worry about. What to do about them? He racked his brains. There was only one Transformer he could think of for _this_ job:

"Prowler!" he called.

"Yes, my lord?" the Decepticon answered.

"Find me Crystillex!"

* * *

Cade's group was having a little luck. They had gone to the last known location of the Allspark – the Hoover Dam in Boulder City, Arizona – only to discover it wasn't there. They had sent him in to attempt access, only to learn that the Dam was on lockdown due to the Decepticon threat.

"Dammit!" Brains grumbled, kicking the air angrily. "Dammit, dammit, _dammit!_ You _have_ to be kidding me right now! You _have_ to be!"

Megatron groaned. "Where the hell could that Allspark be?! If it isn't here, then where the hell is it!?"

"Think!" Cade muttered, sitting down on the ground. "C'mon, Cade, think! Where did you last see that thing? Heck, did you even see it at all?"

"That was our first tangle with them," Bumblebee said, deep in thought. "Let me see... our second tangle over it, Megatron was killed... Megatron... oh my god!" He jumped to his feet. "The last time any of us saw the Allspark it was shoved in Megatron's chest!"

"You're right!" Brains said, coming to the exact same conclusion. "Megatron, you saw it last! Where is it?"

The old Decepticon leader was hesitant to speak. "It's gone. Destroyed. I thought of telling you guys earlier, but I decided against it."

"So it's just... _gone_?" Brains screeched.

Megatron nodded. "Look, when Sam shoved the Allspark into my chest, he killed me. In this result, the Allspark was destroyed. It is useless to look for it, because no matter how hard we look, we'll –"

He fell on his knees, coughing hard. Bumblebee was quickly at his side, whacking him on the back. With each hit, something moved up Megatron's throat until it was in the back of his mouth, barely visible.

Brains took just one look, and the reaction he gave was a clear sign of something unexpected. "The object lodged in there looks exactly like the Allspark! Maybe it hasn't been destroyed after all!"

Finally, the object fell out of Megatron's mouth, narrowly dodging his incisors. The object was a cube with numerous markings upon its metal surface. Within it was a small blue light. Nobody could believe it.

"The Allspark!" Bumblebee gasped.

"Impossible!" Brains said. Glaring at Megatron, he added, "You told us it had been destroyed! I never thought I'd call my old leader a mindless tin-brain, but this is unexceptionally surprising of you to lie about it like that! Cripes!"

Megatron shrugged. "I kept wondering how I was revived so often," he commented. "Now I know. Talk about bizarre. Yet I wonder if the same thing is true with Optimus? Last we knew of the Matrix _he_ had it."

Gingerly Cade picked up the Allspark. "We've completed our mission after all - no thanks to the Hoover Dam employees."

"Back to Muskegon?" Bumblebee asked.

"No – not there," Brains said. "Shortly after we split up, Powertron's army conquered Muskegon. He's basing all the undead there." When they shot him a look he hastily added, "I, um, tapped into a news feed shortly after we left."

"Then where do we go?" Cade asked.

"We stay here and wait for news," Megatron said, standing up. "See if our comrades have any luck. Cade, I'll take the Allspark. It was safe in that location for all those years, so it'll be safe now. He'll have to kill me if he wants to take it."

* * *

Tessa's group, however, wasn't doing so well at all. She kept complaining that the Matrix wouldn't show for anybody; she drove Wrecker absolutely nuts as they neared Death Valley – the last place the Matrix was seen by both human and Transforming eye; and to cap it all off, Unicron suffered another vision, this one so severe he wouldn't talk about, and _that_ caused Tessa to declare a wish of death to come upon him.

"These visions he's having are _so_ made up," she said, watching as Hound and Wrecker helped Unicron stand up. "What more bad news does he have now? Has Powertron killed off another minion?"

"You know, Tessa, you should consider yourself lucky that you haven't been killed yet," Hound said, shooting a glance at him. "Unicron can't help the fact that he's having these visions. Even _he_ doesn't know why he's having them. But he deals wi' it."

"That doesn't mean he's a traitor we don't know about!" Tessa protested angrily.

The glare Unicron flashed at her was of pure rage. "Brono – blew – my face off!" he growled. "He launched the rebellion _himself._ I did not provoke him in any way. Any doubt about my wanting him dead is wiped away just by the knowledge of what he did to me!" he paused. "If you want to experience what I've been through then I'll gladly blow your own face off!"

This shut Tessa up... for about ten seconds. Then she said, "I am _sick_ of you and your bloody kind."

The Transformers stopped dead in their tracks. Three angered faces looked down at Tessa. "And we're all sick of this crap you've been spewing ever since the day we all joined up again!" Wrecker retorted. "If you insist on doing so, then we'll just leave you out here!"

_"__You wouldn't,"_ Tessa snarled.

_"__We sure as hell would,"_ Hound said. "Keep – your mouth – shut, and we won't. Refuse to do so, and we most certainly will."

Tessa reluctantly nodded. "Oh, all right."

They continued to travel through Death Valley, looking around for any signs of the Matrix of Leadership. But they hadn't gone much further onward before—

"Ack!" Unicron stopped abruptly, eye shut and hand at his head. Unlike the other times, he did not fall down. "I understand, brother! I understand! I'll – I'll tell them! _I'll tell them! Just leave me alone!_" he jerked his hand away from his head, wincing and panting like a dog. If his face were still intact, it would have been contorted with pain. The only ounce of pain was within the single orange eye.

"What is it?" Hound asked.

Unicron's voice was strained as he said four simple yet chilling words: "Mentor has been killed."

Wrecker gasped.

"By who!?" Tessa asked.

"Upshift," Unicron answered. "Upshift shot down Mentor over the Grand River. We're stranded out here on our own now. We need to find the others and tell them what's happened!"


	13. Chapter 13

Deep in the Appalachian Mountains, Optimus, Drift, Crosshairs, and Mary searched the brush and leafy greenery for the Dinobots. The Appalachians were the last known sighting area for the Dinobots, so there was a very likely chance they were there. So far, there had been no success; yet as they proceeded to near the center, a few smashed trees made their appearance.

"That's a good sign – I think," Crosshairs said, pointing towards some more broken trees. "We're growing close."

Drift shook his head. "Aerial scouting up above the mountains reveals that this is not good," he said. "Look at this." He pointed towards something metal on the ground. "I believe there was a struggle here, between a Dinobot and a Decepticon or a Dinobot and another. Look here – a broken horn lies on the ground." Using a stick, he lifted a fragment of a horn off the ground. "I think Slug might have lost this in a battle, unless this is a spike of Scorn. It's too hard to tell."

He started to stand back up; then he thought otherwise, and passed the fragment to Mary. "With some work, that could become your weapon. Either that or you can let the Yeagers have it. It's your choice, not mine."

"If a battle has occurred here, then we must hurry," Optimus said, heaving his shield off his back. "Let us arm ourselves before we tread further. We enter dangerous territory once passing by these ruined trees. Be on the alert."

One by one, cannons and swords made themselves visible in Drift's, Crosshairs', and Optimus' hands. The horn fragment, sensing the heat coming through Mary's hands, transformed into a kind of cannon meant just for humans to fire. Part shotgun, part laser, and part flamethrower, the cannon fit perfectly into her grasp.

"Okay: THAT was wicked cool," Mary said when the transformation was complete. "I don't think we'll have to worry about a flamethrower with this thing. And regarding the Yeagers and myself – I'll let them have it. I still have that Swiss Army knife."

The group chuckled as a horrifying screech blasted the air. The laughter ceased immediately. Fear took its place. The group rapidly circled up, searching for the threat.

"What... was... that?" Drift asked.

"I don't know, but whatever it was, I don't like it _one bit_," Crosshairs murmured, a nuance in his voice. "Please tell me that's a Dinobot."

"I hate to break it to you, Crosshairs, but _that was no Dinobot_," Optimus stated. "That's something else entirely. Remain calm, everyone! We must not flip out here. Remain calm; be prepared for anything."

For several long, tense minutes they looked towards the source of the shriek, not seeing anything. Nobody dared to move as the screams grew louder, until they were right above the four.

"What the hell is making that scream?!" Crosshairs hissed. "It's starting to unnerve me more than Scorn ever did!"

"Hold your ground, Crosshairs!" Optimus ordered. "We cannot cave in to fear now!"

But they could all hear the fear in Crosshairs' voice. He may have been with Scorn and survived, but whatever this thing was, it was scaring him very badly.

Mary tapped Drift on the side of the ankle. "I see it," she hissed. "It's right up above us, using the rocks and clouds to hide."

"Try to knock it down here," Optimus advised. "It's a four-on-one fight – it against the four of us, and it'll have the disadvantage if it's at our level..."

The girl raised the cannon, steadied her aim, and fired. The laser blast poured upwards, and a moment later flames erupted as it hit the mark. A beast covered in sheets of titanium metal fell towards the four of them.

"Sidestep!" Drift yelled. "Duck and cover! Roll, roll, roll!"

"Here we go, boys!" Optimus added.

The four dived to the side, causing the beast to land awkwardly on its feet. Another shot from the cannon smacked the beast in the side; within moments, Drift had sliced open a cut on its leg, allowing a strange green liquid to spill out. Crosshairs was attempting to temporarily stun the beast, but gave up and went for the head, grabbing it and pinning it. The beast, however, broke free of both their grips with a whip of the tail and made a ferocious leap towards Optimus. The Autobot leader, raising his shield, let fly a roar of his own, and as the beast made contact with his shield he hurled it behind him. The beast crashed head first into the rocky wall, hit the ground even harder, and growled angrily. The twin set of eyes flashed a murky orange glare at them, peering out from behind crystal panels. Then – it slumped over, temporarily stunned. A black needle the size of a tree stuck out from the neck.

"Went for a stunner charge," Crosshairs panted, hauling the needle out of the neck. "Good shooting, kid."

"That's some good shooting yourself," Mary responded. She too was panting, having dodged the blows being traded. "Holy mackerel, what a beast!"

Drift, meanwhile, was examining the beast. "This is – oh, this is another one of KSI's attempts to become one of us!" he groaned, peering at the cut. "Brono must not have realized it, and sent this guy to annihilate us from existence. Don't know why he went for us first, unless it was human programming."

"I reckon he wanted to take me out first," Optimus said. "Only explanation."

"Why would he want to do that?" Mary asked, wiping her brow.

"Think about it," Crosshairs explained. "If you want to take out the enemy, take out the leader of your enemy. The enemy will then surrender because they have nobody to lead them. It's the most logical explanation I can think of."

The beast began to stir, its eye color now crimson red. It shook its head from side to side, as if it were trying to wake up; upon seeing the Autobots and human it let out a kind of purr. Its mouth opened, revealing dagger-like shards of metal for teeth, and – spoke!

"Thank you – I did not want to work for Powertron, but I was forced to do his bidding," it said. Its voice was crystallic and vibrating, and it rung in the air – which was exceptionally strange.

"Who are you?" Drift asked.

"My name is Crystillex," the beast responded. "I am merely a minion of yours. I am only alive because I was brought back from the dead."

Slowly the beast stood up. "I leave you now to find a set of resting grounds." It began to walk away, but stopped and added, "The Newborn Sparks can be found with the help of 2301, taken out Ada's village, in the heart of the beast."

With that, it was gone just as quickly as it had come. Drift opened his mouth to shout something about KSI, but was quickly stopped by Optimus, who shook his head and mouthed 'Not now. Another time.'

"Come on. Let's keep going; it'll be growing dark soon, and we still have a mission to accomplish," Crosshairs said, the cannon folding up.

So they set off once more, a few weapons out, ready for a fight if they had another. They probed even closer to the heart of those mountains, searching for any disturbance. The only signs of Dinobot activity were broken trees and scorch marks... and soon, claw marks and burnt trees as well.

"Does this place seem scary or is it just me?" Mary asked, hustling to keep up with them.

"It's not just you," Drift said. "Believe me, it's _not_ just you, kid! The first time I was here I had goosebumps galore!"


	14. Chapter 14

On the bank of the Grand River, Clunk's snout rested, soaking in the sunlight. He was waiting for something, and he knew what it was he was waiting for. Sooner or later, it would be feeing time. The question was when it would happen, and what food he'd receive this time.

He spotted Bracken coming towards him, holding a truck in his hands. His fear began to peak. He let out a menacing growl, uneasily shifting on the bank.

"No, Clunk, it's not Optimus. It's just a simple truck," Bracken said, setting the truck on the ground in front of the crocodile. "Eat up, okay? There's going to be another crackdown."

Clunk groaned, but reluctantly swallowed the truck. He let out a series of growls, questioning about the Newborn Sparks.

"I've already spoken to Crystillex; he gave them the clue," Bracken said. "If you'll excuse me, buddy, I have a friend waiting."

He scrambled up to the nearby bridge, joining Equilibrium. "He does not think. He only sees," he commented sadly. "I fear for both his world and ours."

"You think you're afraid," Equilibrium said. "I am too. It won't be long now. The undead are bowing down to Brono so sickeningly that it for once in my life makes me want to vomit." He lowered his voice. "That's not the worst of it, though. I've seen Brono drinking the energon of the dead."

"No!" Bracken exclaimed.

"Yes," Equilibrium said grimly. "He had Rockslide slain just so he could drink the energon. He never trusted Rockslide anyway, so that just makes it even more sour!"

Bracken looked aghast. "What are we going to do!?"

"We have to escape. Now," Equilibrium said, pointing to Clunk. "Sooner or later, we'll be slain as well. Clunk's our only way out—"

_"AHA!"_

The yell pierced the air like the teeth of a sabertooth. Equilibrium and Bracken whipped around to see Powertron standing there behind them. "I knew you two were plotting against me!" he declared, striding towards them.

Clunk, sensing the danger, slid into the water and emptied his maw. Something was about to go down, and he wanted to be ready for it in case he had to protect those above him.

Powertron, however, was advancing on Equilibrium and Bracken. "How long have you been in league with them?" he demanded. "You tell me now!"

Equilibrium lost his temper. "Ever since the day you flayed my arm, you brainless, power-hungry megalomaniac!" he shot back. "You can try to turn me over, but the day you flayed my arm to the point of damaging it beyond repair is the day you sealed my fate!" he pulled out a sickle with his one good arm and placed it behind his head. "But you will _never_ win, Brono. You will never know, never, how hell will defeat you!" The sickle moved, and the Decepticon fell over, headless, energon spewing from the stump of his neck. He had died instantly.

Bracken, seizing his chance, ran for his life. He wanted to be as far away from Powertron as possible, and there was only one way to do so. _"CLUNK I NEED OUTTA HERE RIGHT BLOODY NOW!"_ he screeched.

The jaws of the crocodile slid open. Bracken made a tremendous dive within, grabbing a bar within the maw and holding on for dear life. The jaws snapped shut, and Clunk powered through the water quicker than the maximum speed Powertron could run. Within minutes the two were out of sight, the ripples in the water signaling their vanishing into the deep.

Powertron shrugged and turned back to the body. He knelt, and began to drink the energon coming from the wound. It was still nice and warm, and soon he detected a sweet taste enveloped within. Was that... could that be? Whatever it was, it was _deliciously_ sweet. He knew he had to learn more. "Diehard!"

"Yes, my lord?" Diehard said, approaching from his post.

"Take a sample of this energon and see if there's something else in it," Powertron said, standing up briefly. "It is rather... sweet, if you know what I mean."

Diehard nodded. "Consider it done, my lord."

"Has your crew found the Newborn Sparks yet?" Powertron asked.

"No, my lord, sadly we have not. We are still searching for it," Diehard admitted, placing a small sample of the energon into a test tube. "The fleshlings are utterly perplexed so as to why you are after them, my lord. And for good reason, too."

"They do not understand the technology of ours," Powertron stated. "Which is why I have you working with them, Diehard. You understand it."

"No, my lord, that's not it," Diehard said. "They think it's hiding among their kind. They're searching for the location, which is unknown. We're still looking; we haven't given up yet."

"Tell them to find it or I'll slaughter the lot of them!" Powertron growled. The moment Diehard was gone he resumed his consumption. Not one drop must be wasted. He was sure of it now: he was drinking blood.

_Human blood._

* * *

"Blood? Gross!" Tessa complained, disgusted. "Who does that?"

"I agree with you, Tessa. Gross," Bumblebee said. "Put out the fire when you're done, okay?"

The two groups had joined back up, taking shelter just outside the city of Chicago. The revelation of the Allspark being among them was encouraging; the Matrix of Leadership was yet to be found. The Transformers had hit the sack already, and now only Tessa and Cade were still awake that night.

"So you found it then," Tessa said, turning to look at her father.

He nodded. "We did find it, luckily. Megatron has it now. And you?"

"Nah, nowhere close. Hound remembered Optimus has it," Tessa said. She averted her eyes to the ground. "Dad, I – can I ask you something?"

"Sure, I guess," Cade said hesitantly.

"Do you think it was a good idea to send Mary with those looking for the Dinobots?" Tessa blurted out bluntly. "Be honest."

Cade merely shrugged. "They have their reasons, but you just don't know. It could be that they have a plan for the kid. Or maybe it's just something she feels she has to do."

"Or maybe they've tricked her into helping them, and when they're done with her they'll gladly dispose of her," Tessa said, extremely grim. "That would help us out a lot."

"What makes you say that, Tess?" Cade asked after a moment's hesitation. "She's a great friend up here!"

"Well, I mean – look at her. She's nothing, really. Just a pawn in the war," Tessa said, now looking at her father. "She's unlike you in a ton of ways. She's bluntly honest, quirky, vocal, bold – everything you're not. She even _thinks_ like they do! Is there a conspiracy of some sorts here?"

"We don't know, Tess, but we can't just assume that she's better. Remember what Optimus said," Cade said.

They refused to speak any more on the subject, instead watching the fire. The fire crackled and popped, sending little embers off into the darkness like little fireworks into the night sky. A log fell off the top, burning brightly as a beacon would, turning to ashes the entire time.

"But there's one thing I can assume," Tessa said at last. When her father didn't speak she continued, "I can assume that we will not be parted by any means necessary."

Her hand fastened on top of his. For a brief, quickening moment, their eyes locked. Cade was the first to break away, finding it too creepy.

"I'm off to bed," he said. "Put out the fire when you're done."

He stood up, walked over to Bumblebee, and lay down in the backseat. He couldn't stop questioning herself or what she thought. Was this really worth fighting for? Then again, could they just stand around and let this happen? Surely the government could help them out a little bit! Oh wait – in the eyes of the government, they were traitors and had to be executed for treason. They swore it wouldn't happen again, but it did, and now – well, here they were.

Cade sighed. "What is this world coming to?" he asked himself. "How come these things have to happen? Why are we often in the middle of their wars? Why must we be involved?"

Of course, nobody answered him. Reluctantly, Cade rolled over, struggling to fall asleep. He couldn't shake the feeling that something crushing was about to happen to them. Little did he know she was dead right.

Outside, a black Ford Falcon pulled onto the highway, unnoticed by all but one.

* * *

The Appalachians looked even more treacherous during the night. The group of four had stopped just outside Dinobot territory, not willing to venture inwards during the night, and were sleeping right where they stopped. Well, almost all of them were asleep.

Lying against a ridge, Mary lay awake. She couldn't stop thinking about what Crystillex had said. Eventually, she became too restless to stay still, and slipped down from the ledge. Picking up the cannon – which transformed back into a simple horn – the girl proceeded to walk a ways away, just exploring the terrain a little bit.

"Considering everything that's been going on lately, it's a wonder I haven't gone crazy yet from all of it," she muttered to nobody in particular. "All because some guy asked me directions, and all because the Toyota was a Transformer..."

Then she stopped dead in her tracks. Someone – or something – was coming her direction. Big, heavy footsteps rocked the air and the ground, making it shake. Rocks tumbled downwards from the rocky mountain slopes. Trees shivered and shook with each step. Was a massive, unknown threat coming to take them on? Mary didn't stick around to find out. She turned tail and ran directly back to the three Autobots.

"Guys, wake up – company's coming!" she yelled.

The Autobots assembled immediately, weapons out and at the ready, and concerned looks on their faces. Moving fast, they pressed against the rocky slope, keeping out of sight, using the darkness to hide their forms.

A low bellow echoed through the air. It was loud and low, kind of like a dinosaur – a _plant-_eating dinosaur. Could it be a Dinobot? One of the Dinobots they were searching for?

"That sounds like Slug – I'd know his roar anywhere," Drift said, taking the precaution of lowering his voice. "Can it be possible that instead of _us_ finding _them_, _they_ found _us_?"

"It's possible," Crosshairs said. Beneath his breath, he added, "It's _also_ possible for us to become sudden chow for KSI... it could be Crystillex going for another attempt."

"Remain calm, Crosshairs," Optimus responded. "We will not be taken off guard if we can help it."

The bellow came again, followed by cold, metallic words. "Grimlock! Come forth!"

More tramping signaled another dinosaur, probably a massive Tyrannosaurs Rex. "You summon me, Slug?"

"New scents!" the first voice bellowed. "New Transformer scents! Familiar!"

The group tensed up; Mary gulped. Slowly, the sound of three deep breaths filled the airy night. Very quietly, those breaths were exhaled, releasing warm air into the cool night. Everyone was on edge – just one little thing might set them off.

"Prime..." the second voice growled, taking another sniff. "I smell Prime..." he paused. "Prime is here! Slug, go back to home. I go find Prime."

"Oh my god no," Crosshairs moaned.

"Put a sword in it!" Drift hissed.

Now the thumping noises grew even louder. The lone dinosaur was coming closer and closer to the group. Then – out of the blackness of the night a massive head swung around the corner of the chasm, the lone red eye gazing down at them.

"Found you," Grimlock growled, his wickedly sharp teeth of his Tyrannosaurus form blazing silver in the moonlight. "Why you here, Prime?"

"We were looking for you," Optimus answered. "You and your mates. I assume they are nearby?"

Grimlock nodded. "Follow me."

The massive Tyrannosaurus Transformer led the group to a small-secluded area, covered by rocks, trees, bushes and lichen growing on the rocks. Also in that area were three Dinobots – a Triceratops, a Spinosaurus, and a Pteranodon. The Triceratops was the only one awake; upon seeing Drift he pressed forward, allowing the Autobot to caress his nose.

"How come you're so far in?" Crosshairs asked.

"Fleshling hunt us. Fleshling want to copy us. We disagree. We go. We hide in mountains. We are safe," Grimlock responded, turning around to face the four. "Safe on in. Sit."

The four sat down upon the grass a little ways away from the Dinobots who were snoring.

"What brings you here now?" Grimlock asked.

The Autobots explained the situation (Mary chose to stay silent). When they finished the Dinobot leader looked towards the two sleepers and let rip a short growl. The Spinosaurus and Pteranodon quickly woke up; seeing their guests and hearing the problem, they both gave angry snarls. Clearly they were not happy with the turn of things.

"Everyone okay?" the Spinosaurus asked.

"For right now, yes," Drift said. "We split up temporarily; we hope to regroup shortly."

Grimlock turned towards the Pteranodon, growled an order; the Pteranodon nodded with both heads and, flapping his wings hard, took off into the cool night air.

"Strafe finds others. You stay here. You safe with us," Grimlock explained. "Let sleep overcome us now."

With that, the seven of them fell asleep, grateful that the mission was finally accomplished.


	15. Chapter 15

Powertron could see the officials at his feet; see that they were making an attempt not to show their fear. He drank it in greedily like how he drank up the blood and energon. He gazed at them with cold eyes, watching as they approached him in fear and cowardice. He saw how they trembled in their dapper suits, trembled beneath their skin. A maniacal smile appeared on his face.

He saw one of them open his mouth to speak. "Talk without fear, you fleshling," he said. "I smell your fear though you are down there." he chuckled. "Where do you come from and what brings you before me?"

One of the officials began to speak. "Sir, we of the military request a word," he said nervously. "Is it, you know, possible?" he gulped.

"I'm willing enough to talk," Powertron said. "But it depends on what you desire to talk about if my cooperation will be allowed. Tell me – what do you demand of us?"

The official began to shake as he spoke. "In all acts of duty, we have to ask if your plans include" – another gulp – "the destruction of the United States government. The government is merely asking for peace."

"I do not believe that your governing worries shall be of any, shall we say, consideration," Powertron said, leaning forward to stare at them hungrily. His voice became that deadly poisonous tone as he said, "Why should it be of your concern so as to what I plan to do? The only part a fleshling will ever play is worker."

The second official, a little bolder than his counterpart, stepped forward with another statement. "At the moment, the science department and United States military have postponed their hunt for the Autobots until further notice –"

"The Autobots, did you say? You seek their destruction as hard as I do?" Powertron asked, suddenly interested. "That in itself remains at the top of the chain. What have you been doing in your hunt?"

"We've been trying to track them, to locate them with what technology we have," the second official said proudly, unafraid of the death-dealing monster standing before him. "However, we have had no luck in finding them. Once we had one surrounded, but another broke him free, and they both escaped. We could not catch the alternate of the capture's rescuer."

Powertron chuckled. These stupid fleshlings – their methods were child's play compared to his tactics! "Your departments need to reconsider how they work," he said. "Tracking is impossible! They can only be destroyed in the hands of an immortal."

"Will you at least help us in our search? We'll gladly do what desire us to do," the second official said.

"Be careful with what you're saying!" the first official hissed.

Powertron had heard his remark. "Help _you_?" He began to laugh evilly. "I am already conducting a search of my own for the object of ultimate power. Why should I halt the first and help you... when you're both better off _devoured_?"

The men, now realizing what Powertron _really_ wanted, tried to run away. But the heartless Decepticon wouldn't let them. Producing a cannon, he shot them down and roasted them alive. The roasted flesh and sweetened blood splashed around in his mouth as he devoured them. He felt stronger just sucking the blood and energon; now human flesh made him hungry for more power. How long could this last? He didn't know, but hopefully forever.

* * *

For some, however, this new piece of his life distressed them greatly. Strafe had just returned the next morning with the other Autobots when Unicron had another vision, this one more horrifyingly inhuman the last one he had. The moment he revealed what he had just seen – the events above – _everyone_ flipped. The Dinobots let out roars of rage; the humans went and kicked nearby trees; and as far as the Autobots were concerned... well, Hound started a fight. The fight had to be broken up rather quickly, but the impact was lasting.

"You have to be _kidding_ me!" Megatron growled, balling his fists. "That's the _last_ thing we need out here! A power-hungry megalomaniac who devours both Transformer _and_ fleshling!? I'd rather go back to Cybertron!"

"I agree –who the HECK consumes humans for immortality?" Brains said. "It's absolutely ridiculous and completely insane! I swear – sooner or later he's going to kill himself!" He looked around for a wild minute. "Hey Hound? Where's Wrecker?"

"I dunno, why?" Hound answered, looking up from his conversation with the Spinosaurus, Scorn.

"He's not here," Brains said. "I just realized – ever since we stopped for the night we haven't seen him since."

One by one the others soon realized that Wrecker was nowhere to be found. Had something happened to him? Where had he gone? Did he turn traitor? Where – was – he?!

Bumblebee groaned. "I remember now – shortly after Cade went to bed I saw Wrecker leaving Chicago last night. He took the first highway back to Grand Rapids." His eyes widened. "Oh no. Don't tell me he just – oh he did! YOU BASTARD!"

"Wrecker's betrayed us!" Drift realized.

"Bastard!" Tessa growled. "What a bloody, arrogant bastard!"

"Dammit, dammit, _dammit!_" Cade vented his frustration.

"Why are you not concerned?" Crosshairs asked, noticing Mary and Optimus were not angered by the sudden betrayal. "We just lost someone here!"

Optimus' reply was ashen. "I have had a strong feeling that Wrecker would turn on us. He must have been lured by the thoughts of conquering the universe and the promise of greatness. Perhaps he doesn't want to be on the losing side. And you?

Mary's reply was also ashen. "With the way this world has become, betrayal is inevitable yet unexpected. I've seen it before in a number of situations. In a time such as this, it comes as no surprise that Wrecker is also gone. His motives for leaving remain unknown to us; maybe they will be revealed in the coming confrontations."

"You're nuts, you know that?" Tessa responded coldly. "Why don't you go and be eaten by a Dinobot?"

There was a near outrage from the Dinobots at this ungodly comment. Strange as it may seem, the battered girl didn't respond to this insult. All that happened was that she hopped down from the tree she had been sitting in and quietly walked away, vanishing into the brush.

"Mary, wait!" Cade cried.

The girl, however, was gone.

"Tessa, I think your comment just demolished her," Drift said, following where Mary had gone with his eyes. "Either that, or she can't take any more abuse. I hate saying it, but you've insulted Jigsaw for the final time."

He turned and walked away, soon followed by several other Autobots (Bumblebee, Optimus, and Crosshairs). The rest remained behind, watching as they left. Hound began filling in the Dinobots on what was going on.

"Good going, Tessa," Cade snapped at his daughter.

"What did I do?" Tessa asked, confused.

"You've upset them, that's what you've done!" Cade said. "I tried telling you to stop it with the abuse, but you didn't listen to me! Now you've pissed them off!"

He took after them, trying to catch up, leaving a dumbfounded Tessa in his wake. "I didn't do anything," she muttered. "All I did was tell the truth about her..."

Mary had only gone a few yards before she heard Cade's cries. She turned around just as Cade burst out of the brush. "I was wondering where you ran off to," he said, panting slightly. "Look, I'm sorry about all that, I really am."

"Are you sure you mean what you say?" Mary questioned, staring at him with a stone gaze.

"What?" Cade asked, puzzled. "What do you mean by that?"

"Do you apologize out of pity or out of selflessness?" Mary rephrased her question. "Because as long as I've known you, that hasn't been the case."

"I'm only saying that because I want to make amends!" Cade protested. "I didn't want her to talk like that!"

"I know you didn't, Cade! But why didn't you _stop_ it?" Mary asked. Seeing Cade's confusion, she continued, "I can understand why you're confused. I am too. What I mainly want to know is - what's her problem? Why is she acting like this?"

"Now that you put it that way, I reckon she's just jealous that you're more favored over her," Cade said.

_"What?"_ Mary said, dumbfounded. "Are you nuts!? No! There are no favorites! There can't be any! All I'm here for is to stop Brono and take back my home! All Tessa's doing is being an ungrateful little baby! Hell, while you ran to find help she was using that Swiss Army knife!" She held up her bandaged arm and began to pull back the bandages themselves. "She used the knife - and its sharpest blade - to give me this!" As she spoke, she pulled the bandages away. On the last word, the last one fell off the wound.

Cade took one look and jumped back in shock and fright. The blade of the knife had carved a jagged tearing of flesh in the forearm, narrowly missing the bone. The wound itself was still bloody, but not as bloody as it was during the attack. "Good god!" Cade gasped. "I am _so_ sorry!"

"I can accept your apology," Mary said, rewrapping the wound. "But I don't think I can accept hers. What she did was no less heartless than that of what Brono did to Jigsaw. It's sickening to see what this world is turning into, you know."

"I do know," Cade said. "Look - just take your time. Return when you can. I'll see what I can do about Tessa, but I don't think I'm going to be able to talk some sense into her. I'll try, though. I'll try."

He quickly vanished back through the trees, leaving Mary standing there alone. She sighed, knowing Cade might keep his word but at the same time might not, and lay down at the base of a taller one, closing her eyes to ponder Crystillex's clue.

_2301 taken out Ada's village, in the heart of the beast... 2301 taken out Ada's village, in the heart of the beast... 2301... Ada's village... the heart of the beast..._ why did they sound so familiar? It didn't make sense, but why were they familiar?

"There you are," Drift's voice pierced the air. The girl opened her eyes to see him standing by the tree. "Sorry to disturb you; I couldn't help but overhear the conversation."

"Aah, does it matter?" Mary said, standing up. "I'm just fed up with him anyway. Do we have a plan or are we still making one?"

"We're still making one, unfortunately," Drift admitted. "It's the clue Crystillex gave us that's giving us the most trouble."

"How come you're bothering with that?"

"If we know _what location_ the clue is talking about, then we can keep an eye on it," Crosshairs said, joining Drift. "Optimus doesn't trust Crystillex's claim of finding resting grounds. Frankly, I don't blame him. Crystillex is a _fake_, remember?"

"Agreed," Drift said. "The humans have created Crystillex to hide among the Decepticons. Sooner or later they'll realize the deception. Specifically stating, I doubt his creation. We must investigate further."

* * *

The midafternoon sun pierced the cloudy blue sky like laser beams. Powertron stood in front of the Van Andel Arena, speaking to his newest – and probably most trusting, greedy, power-hungry recruit.

"You made a wise choice to join the winning side, Wrecker," he said, the obedient Autobot kneeling at his feet. "Do your old allies know where you are or what you are doing?"

"No, my lord," Wrecker said, head bowed towards the ground. "They never saw me leave. Prime doesn't suspect a thing."

"Wonderful, wonderful," Powertron said. "Rise, my young companion. Rise and be reborn."

Slowly, Wrecker stood up, his arms limp at his side. His blue eyes, closed they might be, switched to a ferocious orange color.

"You are no longer Wrecker the Autobot. From this day forward and going on forever, you shall be known as Fireball the Decepticon!" Powertron declared boldly.

The new Decepticon's eyes opened, showing the bold orange color. "Thank you, my lord," Fireball said, his voice now deep and cringing. "You will not regret it."

A smile formed on Powertron's face. "You were right to join us, Fireball," he said. "In the end we shall prevail over your – or should I say, our – enemies."

"They will never see us coming," Fireball said, greed coming out in his voice. "Never. Never see us, never stop us. We will prevail over everyone that refuses our lead." A smile formed on his face. "Name for me a task, and I shall complete it."

"Persuade the government of these pathetic fleshlings to side with us," Powertron said. "Don't take no for an answer, and if they insist – bring some of the humans to me."

Fireball nodded. "Consider it done. I shall not return unless I am forced."

With that, he became his alternate and drove off towards a highway to make a trip down to D.C. Powertron watched him go, feeling a sense of pride growing within his spark. He was so proud of his newest recruit; with Fireball at his side, nothing could stop him. "Anything on those Newborn Sparks, Diehard?"

"Still nothing, my lord, though there's a rumor that someone's after them besides us," Diehard said. "It can't be the Autobots, however. They're still in hiding, refusing to show their faces."

"Let's keep them that way," Powertron said.

"Yes, my lord," Diehard said, turning back to his crew.

Powertron scratched his head. How had the not found the Newborn Sparks yet? They should have found them by now! He couldn't understand it. Maybe, just maybe, he should put out an all-points bulletin on those Sparks. Then again, he had work to do. What city would he attack next... if he chose to attack one?


	16. Chapter 16

The quiet, wispy winds of the Appalachians were killed by the sounds of rotating helicopter blades. The Autobots and Dinobots, hearing the noise almost immediately, were rapid to arm themselves.

"What's going on?" Cade asked, pulling his daughter close.

"We have company, that's what," Megatron responded. "I'll go take a look, see what kind of company it is."

"Don't bother," Unicron said. "My brother tells me that the humans have found us!"

As the choppers neared, a human voice yelled out over the noise, "Don't shoot! Don't shoot! We mean you no harm! We're not here for war!"

Puzzled looks came over the faces of the Transformers and their allies. "Then what are you here for, if you do not seek our destruction or our capture?" Brains shot back. "Show yourselves!"

Steadily hovering in the air, several military helicopters came into their views. The soldiers within those choppers were all holding assault rifles.

"Put down the weapons or leave," Optimus commanded sternly. "We do not allow those who mean to harm us to attempt it." Behind him, Grimlock released a low, threatening growl.

On the helicopters, the soldiers tossed their weapons out the sliding doors. They were all nervous, that much was clear. But what brought them here? What had brought them all the way to the Appalachians?

"Now what are you lot doing here?" Hound demanded, eying the soldiers warily.

One of the soldiers shouted, "We need your help!"

"How do we know this isn't a trap?" Megatron thundered. "The last time you told us that, you killed off two of the Decepticons who chose to listen, and you took Brains to make me into Galvatron, you morons!"

"It's not a trap – I swear it!" the same soldier protested.

Megatron opened his mouth to respond, but Optimus cut him off. "Do you realize I haven't forgotten how you tried to hunt us down and make us play by your rules? We trust you no longer!"

His words caused three out of the four helicopters there to flee in terror. One, however, didn't flee. This chopper had only two soldiers in it, both of low rank. Neither had a rifle on them, and their faces were strangely calm, though their voices sounded nervous.

The soldier on the left began to speak. "Sir, the government wants to repair ties for the purpose of saving our cities. They sent us to negotiate."

"Hmm... how do you mean 'repair ties'?" Unicron questioned. "Last I heard, they wanted all of us dead."

"That's true, that's very true," the right soldier said hastily. "But the government is noticing that more and more humans are turning towards Powertron as their leader. They're afraid he'll overtake the government, crush it, and soon crush the other countries overseas."

"We know if his want," Drift said. "But say his real name. To call him Powertron is to call him leader. To call him Brono is to call him by his broken past."

The two soldiers looked baffled. "I'm sorry – what?" the left one asked. "Did he just speak in a tanka?"

Drift nodded. "Forgive that. It's a habit I cannot break."

"So they want us to just come crawling back to them after they demanded our extinction?!" Crosshairs said, clearly outraged. "Like hell I'll do that!"

Immediately he was body-slammed by Scorn. "All right, all right, keep your spines on! I'll chill! Jeezus!"

"He does have a point, though. You can't just expect us to come back after we've been hunted for almost two years," Bumblebee said. "Not like I'm about to return myself, anyhow."

"None of us have forgotten what you've done to kill us off," Hound added.

A huge discussion broke out amongst them. Optimus raised his hand for silence. When it quieted down he asked, "Do your leaders know why they dare to summon those they hunt?"

"No sir," the soldiers answered.

"Because they refuse to make amends. They have wanted to kill us for a crime we have not committed," Optimus stated. "Casualties of war should be expected by your government or any government. We know about it, for our kind has been fighting for many millennia. The battles here were against each other, not against you humans."

"Sir, you're not understanding what you're saying," the left soldier said. "When your lot fought in Chicago, over 400,000 people died. They died by your hand, not ours. It's your fault they died."

On the ground, the humans were almost deterred. "They should just go, leave us alone!" Cade said softly. "They shouldn't be here!"

"They should be," Tessa added, shooting a mean look at Mary. "Why don't they just arrest her and take care of it?"

The junior was undeterred. "Morons!" she muttered. "Bloody morons! It wasn't their fault that those people died! Might as well set them straight!" She raised her voice. "Hey! You in the chopper! What makes you so sure it was their fault!?"

The two soldiers beckoned to the pilot, who landed the helicopter on the leafy green floor. One of the soldiers stepped out. "Sonny, we're trying to have a conversation here," he began.

"I know. I'd like to know what makes you so sure that it was their fault those people died," Mary said. "And before you say anything further let me set this straight: _I'm – not – a boy!_"

"Sorry, ma'am," the soldier apologized. "But they were the ones who started the battle in the first place."

Mary shook her head. "No; if they did do something like that they'd apologize for it and help rebuild. We lost more people in the second World War than we did at Chicago. Four hundred thousand people shouldn't make a difference to at least twenty-five million. Yet it matters to the government because to them the Autobots are effigies just waiting to be destroyed. To you, they are nothing. To you, we are nothing but traitors. Should it make any difference about the casualty number from a single battle to the execution of an innocent being?"

"You don't know what you're talking about, kid," the soldier said ruthlessly. "Now, look here: they were responsible for the deaths of our citizens. If you don't believe that they were responsible then you must have come from another planet like themselves!"

"Then that's just what I thought," the junior said sadly. "Nobody on this bloody planet cares. Everyone's always quick to blame someone. In this case, you blamed the wrong people."

She calmly backed away, pressing against a tree, allowing the others to make the point clear.

"Now _go_," the voice of Optimus struck the soldiers like nails. "Go and tell whoever sent you that we will _not_ be 'repairing ties' with the government. This is a war they will have to fight without us."

Reluctantly, the soldier climbed back into the helicopter. The helicopter lifted off, the blades buzzing like wasps as it flew away. Only once the chopper was gone did the Transformers sheathe their weapons.

"I think what we all said there just about sums it up," Bumblebee stated.

The others nodded their heads in agreement; not noticing the troubled teenager had vanished into the brush. Nor did they notice Tessa happily celebrating her so-called 'victory' of her own little fight.

"She's gone!" Cade protested. "Tessa, how could you? She's a very helpful person."

"I know, right? Victory is ours at last!" Tessa said, embracing him. "Now I have the Autobots all to myself!"

He didn't realize that the troubled teen had heard every word, and was fighting to hold back everything swelled up within. Rage, fear, all those hits – everything was swelling up inside, like this giant bubble. How long would it be before it burst? Nobody knew.

She watched as Cade broke away from Tessa. Tessa stormed off in anger, leaving Cade standing there with the Autobots. The second she was out of sight Mary came silently out of the brush.

"Heartless," Bumblebee remarked. "Not you, Cade, but your daughter." He sighed. "Talk about immense bullying."

"Anyway, need to talk," Grimlock stated. "Must find Sparks fast."

"Whether it be true or not true, we must find them before the Decepticons do," Drift said. "Jigsaw's memory will not be tarnished by the ones who have no heart about the protection of our home and the universe."

"Deep words, Drift," Slug grunted, rubbing against Drift's side. The Autobot, acknowledging the gesture, rubbed the Dinobot's nose.

Cade nodded. "Those are some really deep words, Drift – I'll give you that."

"All the same, locating those Sparks is a priority," Unicron said. "The clue Crystillex gave you – give it to us now. Perhaps we will understand its meaning."

"He said 'The Newborn Sparks can be found with the help of 2301, taken out Ada's village, in the heart of the beast,'" Crosshairs said. "Doesn't make any sense, really, coming from a fake."

The Dinobots all shook their heads. They didn't understand it either. "It make no sense," Scorn growled. "Make no sense at all."

"Maybe it's a location of some sorts," Brains suggested. "I'm only guessing here, but is it even possible?"

"It could be, but we don't know," Megatron said. "On my flight up here I didn't see anything under the ownership of anyone called 'Ada'. If I did I'd know, but I didn't."

Murmurs broke out among the lot of them. Where was Ada's village? What did Crystillex mean by that phrase, 'taken out Ada's village'? Just what was he trying to say? None of it made sense.

"Mary, you're the one who knows that area. Do you have any idea what the clue's trying to say?" Cade asked.

"Sort of. For some reason it sounds _all too familiar_," Mary said, scratching her head. "Like I know of it before... I just can't put my finger on what it is, and it's bothering me like mad!"

Grimlock gave a few short growls towards Strafe, who nodded and shook his heads. Turning back to the group, Grimlock growled, "Strafe thinks around capture is location of Sparks."

For a moment, nobody knew what he meant. Then Hound spoke up. "So let me set this straight: Strafe believes that somewhere around Grand Rapids is the location of the Sparks?"

"Yes," the Tyrannosaurus grunted. "Does the kid know?"

"I – _oh my god YES!_ I should have realized it all along!" the junior yelled, giving a rising fist pump. "I don't know why I didn't realize it earlier! It's not Ad_a's_ village – it's Ad_a_ Village!"

Unicron snapped his fingers. "That's right! Ada Village – isn't that just outside of Grand Rapids?"

"Hey, you're on a roll here!" Crosshairs said. "Pardon the pun," he added sheepishly. "I couldn't resist the chance."

"And 2301?" Brains asked.

"That's my address number backwards – 1032," Mary explained. "How much do you want to bet that the Newborn Sparks have something to do with my home?"

"I'm willing to bet my life on that claim," Cade said. "We need to save those Sparks!"

"You have a point there," Megatron said. "Consider this: maybe Jigsaw _didn't_ actually find the location, but he wanted to be nearby your family because he believed your family had something to do with it! And now Crystillex is there, occupying Ada, guarding the secrets himself so we won't be able to find them!"

Heads all over the group nodded. The truth was there. They now knew that Jigsaw hadn't actually found it, but spread the lie that he found it because he wanted to be sure of its location and didn't want to give it away. But a new realization suddenly became visible in the grim reality of it all:

"Jigsaw died not only to save me, but to save the peace, save the freedom of everyone on the planet," Optimus murmured. "It was what he would have wanted all along. Peace, not war. Friends, not goes. Old comrades, not new enemies. It turns the mission upside down, changes everything. This is not just about taking down Brono. This is about the restoration of what is right, the restoration of humanity, of everything we have and have ever known. I believe the only way we can finally exult over Brono is to lay those who have died and returned back to where they belong – Jigsaw included. Nobody should go out the way he did, but nobody should come back the way the undead did."

He paused briefly. "We shouldn't think of ourselves as enemies, but as brothers. Do we all not descend from two brothers? We have been taught to hate the other, but what is the point of hate? There is no point to hate those who seek to destroy. Fear, yes; hate, no. Primus wouldn't have wanted us to hate him, nor hate his brother. We must have courage not to hate. Cast all thoughts of anger away from your mind and heart, everyone. From this point forward, we do not hate. We preserve our hatred and save it for when we truly need it."

"The Newborn Sparks must not be gained by Brono nor any of his crew," Unicron said. "We need to sneak in, find that information, and sneak out. And – if necessary – we kill Crystillex. Is there only one way to 1032? Is through Ada Village the only way in?"

"No. There's a back way in – through Cascade Township. I've traveled down that roadway a number of times," Mary said. "My home's actually just outside of Ada. Crystillex will probably be around Ada itself."

"Then I think we should make a plan to steal the information from underneath Crystillex's fake nose," "Bumblebee said. "It's do or die time, you guys."

The gang nodded eagerly. It was do or die time. They had only one shot to nab this information. So the plan was simple yet complicated: by way of Cascade and the roads just outside of it, Drift, Brains, and Mary would sneak to 1032. Once there, Optimus, Bumblebee, Crosshairs, and the Dinobots Grimlock, Slug, and Scorn would go boldly into Ada to draw Crystillex's attention, in order to give the girls time to search. If Crystillex grew suspicious, and possibly attacked, then the six would retaliate. Megatron, Strafe, and Unicron would fly above Ada and keep watch for any of Powertron's crew; if they saw just one Decepticon, they would sound the alarm. Cade, Tessa, and Hound would go through Ada by way of Cascade, just in case Crystillex tried to escape. This plan _had_ to work. It _had_ to.


	17. Chapter 17

Washington, D.C., 12:30 pm. The people were completely surprised by the Decepticon before them. They were expecting an Autobot, not a Decepticon. But now, as Fireball stood over them, he saw the fear and realization erupt on the faces of the humans, and he drank it in gluttonously and greedily.

He spotted the police coming towards him, and he growled at them, "Is this what you send against the forces of Powertron? You mock him like a common dog."

"The people are scared," the police captain responded. His voice sounded calm and steady, but in reality he was shaking greatly. "The takeover of Grand Rapids startled everyone. Not one state knows if their city is next. We're not looking for a war here!"

Fireball chuckled. "How do you throw your sticks at the one who could end your lives in a heartbeat?" he said, his fierce orange eyes fixing on the captain. "One may call it bravery, but you all are truly foolish."

The captain suddenly realized just whom he was talking to. "No! It can't be possible!" he gasped. "Wrecker?! Wh – what have you _done_?!"

Fireball smiled evilly. "What do you think he has done? He no longer serves the Autobots because they are weak and pathetic! Powertron knows the real rights of the Decepticons! He is more powerful than any Transformer ever created in the universe!"

"That doesn't mean you have to stoop to his level!" the captain cried, backing up. "Please! Leave us be!"

"Like hell we'll do that!" Upshift's voice suddenly said. Fireball turned to see the Decepticon lieutenant coming towards him. "Good! You're here!" Upshift said. "Powertron sent me as backup. I'll handle this, Fireball."

"Go right on ahead," Fireball said, taking a step back. "They're not listening to anything I'm saying. All yours, mate."

Upshift stood in front of the city, glaring at the police captain. "Tell your government that unless they want to be next, they are to surrender to Powertron within five days! If they refuse, they will become Powertron's lunch!"

The police captain was horrified. _"What?!"_ he yelled. _"No!"_

"Oh yes," Upshift growled. "And if any of you have information regarding the location of the Newborn Sparks, you are to alert either me or Diehard at once! _No exceptions!_ If we find out you're withholding information you're a dead fleshling!"

He turned around and beckoned to Fireball. The two began walking back to Grand Rapids, their job done. The people didn't dare move until the two were out of sight. Slowly, the police captain stood straight up, still trembling.

"Lieutenant," he said, "send a desperate message to KSI. They're our only hope!"

"What about the Autobots?"

"The Autobots won't help us! Just call KSI! If we don't do something we'll all be dead!"

* * *

Slowly, the black-and-blue Bugatti Veyron pulled up in the driveway of 1032. Taking great care, the drone and human quietly slid beneath the garage door. Using a set of keys from within the garage, Mary unlocked the door.

"Do or die," she whispered, pushing the door open. "I don't know if my family's home..."

The main hallway was quiet as the two slipped into the house. For a while there was only the clack-clack of Brains' feet on the tile floor, and the thump-thump of Mary's tennis shoes on the carpet. They paused in front of the stairs, listening intently.

"There's nobody home right now," Mary said, voice hushed. "I'll take the upper floor; you take this one and the basement. Yell for me if you find anything of importance or have to ask me something!"

Downtown Ada, just off of Fulton, the three Autobots and three Dinobots came rolling in. Immediately, the KSI cop-out Crystillex sprang in front of them, growling and snarling, baring his sharp metal teeth, his doubled eyes glaring at them in all crimson glory.

"Easy, brother, it's just us," Crosshairs said, transforming alongside his comrades. "You remember me? We tangled when you came after us."

"What are you lot doing here?" Crystillex asked, his doubled eyes leaping from Autobot to Dinobot. "How did you know to come here?"

"We figured out your clue," Bumblebee said. "That's rather clever of you to give it to us the way you did; I'll give you credit for that."

Crystillex, however, wasn't deterred. "I see you've found your old allies," he said, noticing Grimlock. "I hope he's respectful. The last time I remember, he wasn't very nice to my fellow comrades."

Grimlock's response was in the form of a few grunts. He jerked his head toward Slug and Scorn, who answered in a series of growls and snorts. Grimlock turned back toward Optimus and grunted again. The two spoke for several tense minutes – during which Crystillex seemed to be growing nervous.

"Funny you should tell us that," Optimus said, turning back towards Crystillex. "You see, the only comrades we can think of that Grimlock knows about are _those created by KSI_."

"Are you doubting my words?" Crystillex snarled.

"No. Your origin," Grimlock snarled back. With these words Optimus unsheathed his sword, and Crosshairs and Bumblebee produced two cannons and guns.

The search at 1032 wasn't going too well. Mary had just finished searching the second floor when she heard a yell from the basement. Bolting down the steps, she joined Brains in a room filled with weights, exercise equipment, a flat screen TV, and a Windows computer. "Find something?"

Brains nodded. "Question: I hate being a snoop, but who normally uses this room?"

"You'll catch my dad in here most of the time – this is his man cave," Mary explained. "Whenever he's down here he's mainly exercising, watching sports, or doing work. Sometimes he brings his work home. Why do you ask?"

"I'm starting to think that your father might have been somewhere else before he was in the area he is now," Brains said. "I don't know if you'll remember it or not, but there's something in this room that's bothering me about it!"

Drift's voice made both of them jump. "Better hurry, you two! From what Hound told me Crystillex is growing suspicious of why we're here!"

He was dead right. In Ada, the prospect of certain death loomed over Crystillex like a storm cloud. Having two cannons and a sword pointed at him, Crystillex began to stutter in his speech. "Why – why are you so concerned about my origin?" he stammered. "It's just metal!"

"When we last tangled, one of us sliced open a wound on your leg," Optimus said. "While you were knocked out, we studied what flowed out of it."

"We remembered that there's only one kind that has green stuff flowing through their veins," Crosshairs declared, "and that kind is made by KSI!"

"Impostor!" Slug growled. "Ruddy impostor!"

"No I'm not!" Crystillex protested. "I told you that I was brought back from the dead!" He began to back out over the bridge. "I told you the truth!"

Scorn shook his head, snarling, "You fake! You fake!"

"Admit it, you KSI cop-out," Optimus said sternly. "You made it all up. For what reasons have you lied about being one of us? Every minute you refuse to answer is a tribute to your cowardice!"

The cop-out didn't speak. Instead it backed up further out onto the bridge, trying to escape. All at once it jumped, feeling something nudge it in the back, and whirled around. Standing at the other end of the bridge was Hound, and with him were Cade and Tessa.

"Caught you," Hound said, a gun in his own hand. "Now in my book you have two choices: you can either say nothing and have us blast you, or you can talk and give us the full scoop."

Crystillex looked from one side to the other. He was trapped on the bridge, with nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide. He was ultimately a sitting duck.

Nowhere to run, but somewhere to hide, those at 1032 were thinking. The information was here, hiding somewhere within the pits of the Runner family. All Brains and Mary had to do was find it, or possibly force Mary to remember.

"How long have you lived in this house?" Brains asked, trying to jog the girl's memory.

"I first moved to this neighborhood in 2005, just before starting elementary school," Mary said, shutting her eyes and thinking hard. "At the time my father worked downtown. He hadn't branched off into his own business yet; when we moved he was working for another guy. He didn't like it at all; shortly after the move he quit his job and started up his business in another building, closer to the Van Andel Arena."

Brains said, "Remember that clue? There was another part to it. _1032, taken out Ada's village, in the heart of the beast_. If your father used to work downtown and Brono is there now..."

Mary finished her sentence, coming to the exact same conclusion. "Then the Newborn Sparks must be in downtown Grand Rapids!"

"We need to find the others!" Brains said, running towards the stairs. "Let's go! Quick!"

The two ran through the house, pausing only to lock the door and hide the key. Once Drift spotted them, he asked, "You found anything?"

"The Sparks are most likely downtown!" Brains cried. "We need to tell the others!"

"Come on then! We're headed to Ada," Drift said, opening the back doors. "I was hailed by Hound – Crystillex is thinking of bolting! He's growing desperate for an escape!"

In Ada, Drift's words were oddly accurate. Crystillex was _indeed_ panicking. He'd never been cornered like _this_ before, not in his entire life! "Come now, everyone," he said squeamishly. "Come on now. Let's – let's be reasonable about this."

"We're done being reasonable!" Cade yelled. "Tell us the truth, you metal moron!"

Crystillex gulped. He looked over at the side with Optimus and the others. But even as he looked at them he realized he wouldn't have a chance of pleading for mercy. The Dinobots were downright furious; Grimlock was snorting heavily, like he was about to breath fire. Crystillex crouched into a fetal position, ultimately frightened.

Behind Hound, Drift drove up, rapidly transforming and unsheathing his ninja blades. Brains and Mary hurried over to join Cade and Tessa, who were glaring at Crystillex angrily.

"What's going on?" Mary asked.

"We're trying to make this moron tell us why he lied, but it's not going too well," Cade replied. "He's asked us to be reasonable, but from the response he's been receiving we're not going to be."

"Now he's just acting stupid," Tessa grumbled. "What about you two?"

"We think we have a slight suspicion on where the Sparks are – they're not at 1032," Mary said. "Let us try. We don't have to use brute force to make him talk."

"Which way is that?" Cade asked.

"I know what you're talking about," Mary said. "Let us take a chance. We'll see if we can make him talk."

The two sprinted out onto the bridge. Crystillex, noticing this action, swung his head towards them. His eyes widened when he realized they weren't wielding weapons. "What are you doing out here?" he asked, his voice soft and weary.

"We know where they are," Brains said. "You don't have to guard the secrets any longer."

The metal beast's chest heaved. "Thank heavens," Crystillex said. "Now my job, my restriction – it's over. Now I can explain."

He straightened up. "I was ordered to deliver the clue by Bracken. He and the crocodile Clunk are outlaws; Brono killed Equilibrium and Rockslide. My sources tell me that Clunk's current location is Lake Michigan, searching for you lot. I was originally an attempt by the humans to become one of you. _Yes_, I was made by KSI; I escaped captivity when they weren't looking and I met Jigsaw. I agreed to help him in his search. When he died I swore to protect the clue until you figured it out."

"You were like this the whole goddamn time?" Hound said, dumbstruck. "Are you kiddin' me?"

"No," Crystillex said. "But I know the ways Brono works. A sneak attack can be successful if –"

Without Megatron and Strafe dropped out of the sky. "I hate breaking up the party," Megatron said, "but Brono's patrol has spotted us. We need to go. Now! Unicron had to leave – his brother called. We still have to go!"

Moving fast, the Autobots and Dinobots transformed into their alternates. The humans and Brains jumped into a random Autobot – in this case, Hound, Drift, and Crosshairs.

"Where's Cascade?!" Brains hollered.

"Just follow us!" Mary yelled back, sliding into the driver's seat of the Bugatti.

"What about you?" Megatron addressed Crystillex. "Are you not about to run? The patrol is coming!"

The metal cop-out leaped to his feet. "Go, all of you! I will hold them off for as long as I can!" he snarled. "GO! HURRY! BEFORE THEY ARRIVE!"

In the Bugatti Veyron, the junior took the wheel, leading them down the drive and heading directly to Cascade, leaving Crystillex behind them with his claws and teeth bared, a mean look in his eyes. Not five minutes had they left than did Powertron's lieutenant appear with a patrol, stopping just short of the bridge. Before Crystillex's doubled eyes, Diehard transformed before him. "We detected Autobots in this area," he growled. "Did you see any sign of them?"

"No I did not," Crystillex responded, teeth bared. "But what I did see was that _his_ worst fears are confirmed."

Diehard looked confused. Another Decepticon shoved his way forward. "Whattaya mean his worst fears are confirmed, you stupid hunk of metal?" he snarled, his voice sniveling and whiny.

Crystillex hissed, being careful in his motions. "I mean the Autobots have beaten him to the clue!" he roared, making a tremendous leap into the air. To the bewilderment of the patrol, he crashed down on the whiny Decepticon, sending him into a frenzied attack right on the bridge. The Decepticon fought fruitlessly, struggling to throw Crystillex off. The metal cop-out, however, held on with both claw and teeth, digging into the neck. The Decepticon let out a howl.

Finally Diehard broke up the fight, shoving Crystillex off of the whiner and hurling him to the other side of the bridge. "Enough of this!" he snapped. "Crystillex, what are you trying to tell us? What do you mean by that?"

But Crystillex didn't respond. He lay there, unmoving, eyes glazed over. His neck held on by a single shard of metal. Somehow, some way, he was dead.

Cautiously, the attacked Decepticon moved closer to the fallen beast. His own face was bleeding, as he had a gash just beneath his eye. "In the name of Primus!" he gasped, spotting the green substance flowing out of the veins. "Diehard, he's not even one of us! He's a fake!"

The Decepticon was right. He sprang over the body and crouched on the other side. He raised his fist and broke open the body. Within were wires and a framework structure, along with more veins and built-in muscles. The metal covering was but sheets of steel disguised as a Transformer's skin. But the icing on the cake was the symbols KSI embedded into the forehead, just above the eyes, which were glass panels with crimson spotlights.

The patrol was dumbstruck. "A human-made machine trying to masquerade as one of us? Impossible!" Diehard said, cutting open the head and seeing more wires – and a huge black box. "We shall have to report this to Powertron as soon as possible. This is just unthinkable!"


	18. Chapter 18

A frustrated roar interrupted the evening in Grand Rapids. Powertron had just received the news about Crystillex not being one of them, and he was downright _furious_. His rancor could be heard all through the city. "He was a fake!? A design by the humans!? Oh, they are _so_ going to regret their actions!" he thundered. "I do not know how you managed to find out, but this has to be stopped!" he began to pace back and forth, clawed hands behind his back.

"My lord?" Diehard said, appearing from behind a building. "There is more bad news. And it's worse than what I told you earlier."

Powertron merely waved his hand. "Go on," he said, still pacing. "Bad news is better than none. Is it about the Newborn Sparks?"

"The computers have shut down," Diehard said. "The Autobots know the location of the Sparks."

The Decepticon leader stopped dead in his tracks. "They _WHAT?!_"

Diehard, seeing the glare of fury in his leader's eyes, quickly said, "The Autobots know where the Sparks are located. I – did not want to be the one who told you, but –"

The yell erupting from Powertron could be heard all over Michigan. _"NO!"_ he roared. "_NO! NO! NO!_ It's not possible! They can't know where they are! They can't!" The fury in his eyes knew no bounds. "Gather all of those on that job and bring them before me!_ NOW!_"

Diehard took off, moving rapidly to locate all of the humans who worked in that specific department. Within two-three minutes a small group of roughly twenty human beings cowered before the Decepticon leader, frightened looks on their faces.

"Who's in charge of this pathetic group?" Powertron demanded.

At first, nobody moved. Then, very cautiously, a young man in his twenties stepped out of the group. "I am, sir," he said, his voice small and weak.

"What's your name?" Powertron asked, the poisonous tone returning to his voice.

"Ivan, sir," the man said.

"Tell me, Ivan, why you couldn't find it," Powertron said, kneeling to the man's eye level. "You had the best of what could be supplied. Why did you not find it?"

Ivan was hesitant to answer. "I – I don't know," he stammered.

"Of course you do. Don't say you didn't!" Powertron growled, knocking the man to his knees. The motion sent the rest of the people gathered into a nearby coffee shop – closed, of course. They gathered at the window to watch what was happening. The Decepticon, however, didn't notice; his attention was on Ivan. "I'm not about to put up with this behavior," he said, "but I will give you a chance to come clean before it becomes nasty. So tell me, Ivan, why you couldn't find it."

The man didn't answer this time.

Powertron sighed. "I can see this conversation is going nowhere," he said. "Yet I'm willing to give you one more opportunity to admit your guilt. But this is your final chance, so if you don't answer it's going to become painful. So tell me, Ivan, why were you unable to find what I was after?"

Ivan spoke but he was so soft nobody could hear him.

"What was that?" the Decepticon asked, moving his head closer to the man until it was mere _inches_ away from his ear. "I couldn't hear you. Could you possibly repeat that?"

Ivan spoke up again, up to the point where he could speak without panicking. "We were... we weren't searching. We were talking to KSI."

"You were talking to KSI?" Powertron said, deeply inhaling. "And why was that, Ivan? Why were you talking to KSI?" Then it hit him. "Had they _built_ something? Had they built a creature, a creature with the name Crystillex? Was that it?" When Ivan nodded, Powertron's poisonous tone turned deadly. "And why were you doing that? The full story, if you please..."

"We were told to by the government. He escaped from KSI's headquarters and had gone rogue," Ivan stammered. "He became nothing like the beast they had made. It was a top government project, looking for him. We wanted him to be invisible, so he could hunt down the Autobots without them knowing he was there. But – but something went wrong; his personality changed. He escaped, and we were trying to contact him!"

Powertron stood up and wielded his knuckle blade. "I appreciate you telling me this, Ivan," he said. "Unfortunately, it's not going to save you." The greedy look in the Decepticon's eyes sealed the man's fate. The blade swooped downwards, decapitating the man. Moving fast, Powertron scooped up the limp body and devoured it, savoring the blood. He shot a menacing glance at the other humans huddled in the coffee shop. "What you just witnessed is what you pay if you fail," he said. "Now _back to work_. _DO NOT_ fail me this time."

The humans took off, running away to the Ellis Parking Garage. Powertron sighed. Fleshlings could be so annoying and _so_ stupid. Hell, their stupidity was through the roof compared to him! But he had to wonder...

"Rundown?" he called.

The Decepticon quickly made his appearance. "Yes, my lord?"

Powertron asked, "Is it really true that he really _was_ a fake hiding among us this entire time?"

Rundown folded his hands grimly. "Yes, my lord. But Fireball and Upshift are back," he said, attempting to change the topic. Thankfully, he succeeded in his attempt. Powertron's face changed from anger to relief.

"They're back from D.C.?"

"Yes, my lord," Rundown said. "Do you want to see them?"

Powertron nodded. The two Decepticons walked through the city, heading for the Van Andel Arena.

* * *

A darkened blue settled on the banks of Lake Michigan. The crew had fled to the area just outside of Chicago, the one city where they truly felt safe from the government. Ever since the battle of Chicago, the city had been grateful to be saved from Decepticon rule. Now the Autobots used it as a hiding place from both the government _and_ Powertron's forces. Everyone was currently asleep, preparing for the upcoming day. Well, not everyone was asleep.

Cade, sleeping on the back hood of the Camaro, woke up to the sound of stones splashing into the lake water. He stood up, sliding off the hood, and followed the noise. Standing at the water's edge was Mary; she was randomly hurling stones out into the lake.

"You're awake?" Cade said, approaching from behind. "Shouldn't you wait until morning?"

Mary laughed briefly, dropping the stone. "Technically, it _is _morning," she said. "I'm used to waking up at an early hour. What is it, six in the morning? This is when I normally wake up... if you're counting school days, that is."

"Oh," Cade said, sitting down on a rock. He hesitated on his next question. "Look, I'm really sorry about the way my daughter's been acting. She's always had a bit of a..."

"Violent streak?" Mary suggested.

The two humans chuckled.

"Do you know why your daughter dislikes me so much?" Mary asked, jumping on top of another rock. "I mean – she's injured me once. She could do it again." She held up her bandaged forearm.

Cade sighed. "I don't know why she hates you so much," he admitted. "I guess the only real explanation is that it was just the two of us with the Autobots, and my daughter... liked it that way. Maybe when you came along she saw you as a rival, someone trying to steal them away. But what I can't explain" – he stood up and began pacing around the rock – "is why she thinks she's their princess. Optimus said it himself – there are no princesses!"

"Your daughter is foolish to think otherwise," a deep voice rang through the air like water from a washcloth.

The two humans looked in the direction of the voice – and noticed Unicron gazing solemnly at them. "She fails to understand, does she not?" he said.

"Unicron? Where have you been?" Cade asked. "You just vanished out of the blue after the Ada mission!"

"I know," Unicron said. His voice was filled with sorrow as he explained. "I have been on an astral trip to visit my brother. Even now our time grows short to find and rescue that egg, for Brono doesn't know what powers the Newborn Sparks contain." He paused forlornly. "I know I said that the Newborn Sparks were my brother's descendants, but what I meant to say was that they are his _direct _descendants. They were rescued by the Seven Primes, launched off Cybertron during the Great War, and sent here to hide. _That_ is why Brono must not take them. If he takes them, corrupts them, kills them, the Autobots will go the same way. My own brother may kill me if this happens to his descendants, because while I am upon this planet, he has charged me with finding them."

"Oh – my – god," Mary said slowly.

"He's joking," Cade commented.

"No he isn't. He's dead serious," Mary corrected. "He wouldn't be telling us this if he weren't serious."

Unicron knelt until he was at their eye level. "I need you to help me with this task. Once we find the egg, once the egg cracks in two, I can't take the Transformers within. I need you to help me protect Primus' descendants, protect them until your deaths. Do you swear to do so? Both of you?" he asked. "For my brother?"

The two humans looked directly at each other; then they looked at Unicron. The same thought was running through their minds. "Just let Brono try to remove them from us," Cade said. "I'd rather die before giving them up."

"Agreed," Mary said. "I slashed him once. I'll do it again if I have to."

Unicron made a brave attempt to smile. "Thank you," he said. "My brother will be happy to know. I must leave you temporarily; I must inform the others of this decision."

He began to walk toward the camp. As he did so, something straightened up within his posture. He walked like he didn't have any trouble any longer, like he had reinforced courage.

"Just let Brono try," Mary said, turning back towards the water. "He's already on my hit list – not just from killing Jigsaw, but for taking over my hometown!" On the last word she chucked a stone towards the camp. "The bastard!"

"What should we do when this war is over?" Cade asked. "If I take both of them, I bet Tessa will keep them locked up and won't let you see them."

"True," Mary said. "Try my parents – they don't even _know_ about the Newborn Sparks or Jigsaw being the 4Runner."

"We'll let them decide on who they want to hide with," Cade concluded. "How's that?"

Mary cocked her head. "Sounds like a plan to me. I don't think Unicron will mind. He _did_ ask both of us to protect them, anyway, so it would make sense for them to choose who they want to hide with."

Grinning, Cade bent over and picked up two stones. He passed one to Mary, saying, "Might as well have a little fun. How deep is this lake?"

"At least a hundred feet in some, over three hundred in others," Mary said. "If you want to test your curiosity, go ahead."

One by one, they tossed their stones into the lake, hurling them far and wide. The first stone hit the water with a kind of plop, skipping a little bit. The second stone, however, bounced off something with a kind of clank before hitting the water.

Both humans looked at each other, then out at the lake. Each was puzzled. Was there something metal in the lake? It couldn't be Unicron; he was speaking to the Autobots – well, those who had woken up, that is. Those who were still stirring were listening groggily (the Dinobots and Hound, mainly)

Slowly, Mary picked up another stone and hurled it in the same direction as the last two. The same clanking noise came before the splash; but this time, a kind of growling noise followed. Everyone on the bank froze. Those who weren't awake were _now _awake. Heads not turned towards the water turned towards the water. Cautiously, the humans moved away from the water's edge, backing up until they reached the Autobots.

Bubbles began to form on the lake surface. Something was rising from within the depths of Lake Michigan. The growl came again, louder this time. Suddenly two spouts of lake water flew into the air, dropping back down onto a metal snout. A set of green eyes appeared in the sunrise as the crocodile-like Transformer Clunk made his appearance. Upon seeing the group, Clunk broke into a powerful swim, wriggling through the water like a snake. At the same time, Grimlock and the Dinobots let out a massive roar and charged to the rocky beach. The Autobots and humans followed close behind.

Within the minute, Clunk had pulled himself up onto the each. His maw opened, and a yell came from within. "Optimus! Unicron! Megatron! Thank Primus we found you!"

Bracken scrambled out from within the maw. "Thank Primus we found all of you!" he repeated, hitting the beach. "We both had to flee – Brono became suspicious of us. Rockslide and Equilibrium were slain; I'm the only one left along with Clunk."

"At least you're alive," Crosshairs said, thumping his comrade on the back. "How'd you manage to escape?"

"I wouldn't have if it weren't for Clunk," Bracken responded, rubbing the crocodile's snout. "Crystillex told me you received his clue. Have you solved it?"

Brains nodded. "The Sparks are in downtown Grand Rapids," he added, hurrying back to the camp to wake Tessa – who, miraculously, had slept through all of the commotion.

"Bracken," Unicron asked, "how bad is the situation?"

Bracken turned towards the Decepticon. "You solved the clue Crystillex gave you," he said. "The Sparks are right in the _heart_ of Grand Rapids, barely underneath Brono's nose. We have to take that egg before he finds out about it being right there!"

Silence rocketed around the group. Something had to be done to rescue that egg and prevent it from turning evil. Another plan was starting to form.


	19. Chapter 19

Just outside Grand Rapids, as six am turned into eight am, the Autobots Optimus, Drift, and Crosshairs stood with Dinobots Grimlock, Slug, and Scorn. Above the city, Megatron, Unicron, and Strafe flew, surveilling the area and the Decepticons within the city. Beneath the waters of the Grand River, crocodile Clunk lay in wait. In his maw were Bracken, Bumblebee, and Hound. All of them were lying in wait, all waiting for a signal from Strafe, whose job was to keep an eye on the humans and Brains traveling within the city. The moment the four found the egg, they were to take it and run for the river, where Clunk would fetch them. If the plan went wrong and they were discovered, the Autobots would launch themselves into a battle designed to distract. Now, inside the city, Cade, Tessa, Mary, and Brains slipped through the streets, passing sleeping Decepticons on tiptoe.

"Don't they know how to clean up?" Tessa wondered, the fragment on her belt. "This place is an absolute _mess_!"

"Does it look like they know how?" Cade responded, narrowly missing a pool of a reddish-blackish oily-looking substance. "God, this is _gross!_"

In front of them, Brains stopped at another pool, scooping up a small sample of the substance. "What the heck is_ this_ stuff all about?" he said to himself. "I'll have to test this further..."

Once he was finished, the four weaved through the streets, searching boldly. Then – their worst nightmare came true: footsteps pounded the ground, coming towards them. Pulling into a nearby alley and hiding behind a dumpster, they watched as a Decepticon – Fireball, to be precise – walked briskly past their hiding place.

"Oh no," Cade hissed.

"Shit! They're waking up!" Mary whispered. "We'll have to take the back alleys now! We can't be out in plain sight! Once they spot us it's game over!"

Tessa gulped. Slowly, they crept out of the alley and down the street. "If that was Wrecker," she said, "then that means Brono will wake up soon. The heart of the beast... where's the heart of the city?"

"If he's waking up then that means we have to hurry!" Brains said softly. "Oh god..."

Luckily, they only encountered Fireball. Strangely, however, he seemed extremely intent on following them. Then, out of nowhere, he cornered them in a side street.

"Do you have a good reason for wandering the streets unattended?" he demanded.

Cade, Brains, and Tessa didn't speak up. Mary, however, did. "I was about to ask you the same question," she said coldly. "What about yourself, Wrecker?"

"That name no longer has any meaning to me, and you know that yourself," Fireball snarled. "Now answer my question or you're all under arrest."

"Under what law? Under what right? And how about those Miranda rights?" Brains said suddenly, going and joining the junior. "You can't just arrest people out of the blue, man. You need a reason to! I know that for a fact thanks to my study of law during imprisonment by KSI! So what's your reason to arrest us?!"

Slowly, Tessa went and joined the two. "He's right, you know," she said. "You need to have the proper rights and a reason to arrest us, Wrecker."

While the three of them focused their attention on Fireball, Cade noticed a nearby bottle of water – which, thankfully, was open, and still had a bit of water in it. He reached for it, grabbed it – and hurled it right in Fireball's eye. The Decepticon let out a furious roar. "YOU –"

_"RUN!"_ Cade yelled. "Split up! Tessa, you come with me!"

The girls and Brains didn't think twice. Seizing the other's hands, they tore off down the street, Cade following close behind. And behind Cade, Fireball thundered after them, still rubbing at his eye.

Above them, Strafe let out a cry. "Under attack!" he screeched. "Roll in! Roll in!"

The Autobots moved in rapidly. Before anyone knew it, Grand Rapids was under siege once again. The startled Decepticons were slow to react – giving the Autobots and Dinobots the upper hand. In the very center of the city, a little ways away from the empty Ellis Parking Garage (the people were already at work, but had fled due to the battle), Powertron and his two lieutenants fought Optimus, Unicron, and Megatron, with Grimlock keeping them within the battle area.

"You again!" Powertron growled, narrowly missing Optimus' arm. "I should have known it was you! Come to restore your honor?"

"Not by cannon shot, asshole!" Megatron retorted, heaving Upshift off the ground and into Diehard.

Optimus himself said nothing, his attention grimly focused on his powerful opponent. His normally gentle blue eyes became stern and cold as he fought. Powertron, however, remained relaxed, and appeared to taunt the Autobot leader as they fought.

"Come on, Optimus! Take me on! Kill me to avenge your slain descendant!" he shouted.

Optimus still didn't answer, landing a blow to Powertron's gut with the hilt of his sword. He wasn't about to give in to Powertron's words, not when it might cost him his life.

Scurrying into a building a few feet away from the clashing Transformers, Mary, Tessa, and Brains paused to catch their breath. "That – was close," Tessa panted. "Thank god you're okay, dad."

"I'll say," Brains gasped, wheezing. "That was _way _too close for comfort! _WAY_ too close!"

Mary said nothing, merely hacking for a couple of seconds. Once they had caught their breath, the four proceeded into the building, struggling to avoid those clashing outside.

"Where are we?" Brains asked. "You seem like you know this place really well, Mary."

"That's because this is my dad's old workplace," Mary answered. "He worked on the fourth floor, but this was where he came in."

Brains stopped in front of a set of stairs. "I have the feeling that – yes! The egg is here! Follow me!" he cried, sprinting down the steps. Shrugging, the three took off after him, running as quick as they could to keep up with the drone.

Outside, Bumblebee and Hound shot past, tag-teaming another Decepticon, bashing him one way and then another, making playful banter as they went along. Hound sent the Decepticon flying into the crown of Bumblebee's cannon, and the cannon sent out some sort of punch, hitting the Decepticon in the chest and sending him into Clunk's waiting maw.

The center of Grand Rapids had become a battleground. Optimus was fighting valiantly against Powertron, but the traitor was too strong. Yet the fearless Autobot leader refused to let that stop him. He sent Powertron sprawling with a shove from his shield.

Unicron and Megatron battled Diehard and Upshift. Diehard attempted a right cross to Unicron's face, but the battered, faceless Decepticon wouldn't give in. He retaliated with a one-two punch to Diehard's chin. Upshift, however, had the upper hand on Megatron – sort of. Neither could pin the other in a knockout blow.

In the building, the three humans and Autobot drone stopped abruptly in front of a brick wall just beneath the steps. Brains pointed at the wall excitedly, as if he could sense something behind it. "It has to be here! This is the place! Jigsaw was right! Jigsaw was right!"

"He must be, what with the way you're acting," Cade echoed. "Where's that horn?"

The sounds of battle ripped through the building, the sound of metal upon metal. Brains let out a shriek, pointing towards a window. The humans, following his gaze, saw the fighting outside growing ever closer. With a pop and a crack, the horn cannon launched a grenade into the bricks. The three ducked for cover as the bricks blew past them; when the dust had settled, they ventured towards the hole in the bricks. Something metal with pulsating veins of green lay within. The egg!

"That's it right there!" Tessa crowed. "Grab it and let's go!"

Being as careful as possible, Brains picked up the egg. The four sprinted back up the stairs and out the first door they could find, landing dangerously close to the fighters.

Noticing the brawlers, Mary gave a yell. "We found it!"

Megatron and Upshift stopped fighting and looked in their direction. Their eyes widened when they saw the egg. In the blink of an eye, Upshift surged towards the three, focused on the egg; Megatron, however, had other ideas. Seizing the lieutenant by the torso, Megatron growled, "Oh no you don't!" On the last word, in one fluid motion, he hurled the Decepticon behind him. At the same time, Optimus was moving in for another attack, and without realizing it he cut Upshift in half with his sword.

A terrifying wail splintered the battlefield. _"No! No! No!"_ Diehard yelled, shoving Unicron away and running to Upshift's side. He was too late; the Decepticon was already dead by the time Diehard reached him.

"Let's scram!" Megatron shouted. "The egg has been found!"

Just like that, the Autobots scattered, leaving the battered Decepticons shell-shocked and weary... and undoubtedly flaming mad. If they were cartoon characters there would be steam coming out of their ears.

"I'll kill you for this, Prime!" Powertron roared after them. "I'll kill you!"

* * *

"Now _that_ was an ass-whoopin' no Decepticon will _ever_ forget!" Hound said, jumping into his form.

Upon fleeing from Grand Rapids, the crew had traveled north instead of south. At the moment, they were on the outer shore of Route 31, a mile or so away from the lakeside town of Ludington.

"I'll give you that one, Hound," Bumblebee agreed, stretching his arms. "I'll give you that one."

"Dude, did you see his face when you smacked Rundown in the conk?" Crosshairs said, laughing with Drift. "Yo – I swear – I thought the guy was going to piss himself!" Behind them, Slug and Scorn howled with laughter.

The leaders – Optimus, Unicron, Megatron, and Grimlock – had more pressing matters. "With Upshift dead, Brono will be gunning for revenge," Unicron said grimly. "I just know he'll want to avenge his lieutenant."

"Agreed," Grimlock grunted. "Why you have glum face, Prime? You sad?"

"I am neither glum nor sad, Grimlock. Merely lost in thought," Optimus answered, looking back at the Dinobot. He returned his gaze to the ground. "The terms used by Brono are meant to spread hatred within us; I do not understand why. I see a world falling apart – rapidly disintegrating before my eyes. We should have killed him then and there, rather than having it be a battle of distraction."

He walked away, head hanging low.

"Hang on – where are the humans?" Megatron asked, looking around abruptly. "And where's Bracken?"

All laughter, all talk stopped. Everyone glanced around, searching for Bracken. The humans were quick to appear, darting out from within the trees; but Bracken was nowhere to be found. Where had he gone? Wait – had he been killed?

Without warning Unicron crashed to the ground, his hand clasped over his undamaged eye. The Autobots and humans were quickly at his side.

"Unicron? Unicron, can you hear me? What do you see?" Drift asked frantically.

Slowly, the Decepticon began to speak. "Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. He strikes again, murdering our last insight to the mind of Brono," he said, his voice deep and powerful, moving and melodious. "Even now he drains the energon of our comrades. We are on our own, with no backup, no reinforcements, no nothing."

The humans looked worriedly at each other. "What's happening to us?" Tessa asked, springing into the group. "Are we cowards now? Bracken is still alive, you know! He could be just faking!"

Cade had been pushed to his breaking point. _"Oh shut up, Tessa!"_ he yelled suddenly. As all eyes turned to him, he continued, "Ever since we grouped back up you've been against us from the start! Bullying her, questioning them – you went over the deep end trying to make yourself the only person suited for any job! I've put up with your constant crap for long enough! So do us all a favor, and put a sock in your mouth before I expound any more!"

"Like _what_?" Tessa challenged, putting her hands on her hips. "You have nothing against me! Besides, what about the girl who's trying to take them away from us?! What do you have to say about that, you little bitch?!" This last line was shot at Mary.

The teenager shrugged. "Frankly, I'll go the philosophical route: I'm not after anything. If at all, I want my hometown back," she said calmly. "I'd have to ask you the same question, as you're the one who's convinced the world revolves around her all the time."

"Oh, you are so going to pay for that!" Tessa snarled, starting to lunge towards her.

"Enough!" Drift said, stepping in between them. "Enough. When the problem is worse than the solution, a new defense must come to the light and take on the duties of neglect. Hatred will go nowhere. We must not fight against each other. It is exactly what Brono wants us to do."

"Bullshit!" Tessa bellowed. "That is complete and utter nonsense!"

"Just shut up, Tessa!" Brains insisted. In a quieter voice, he repeated, "Just shut up."

The Autobots disbanded, with Slug and Scorn assisting Unicron while Strafe flew overhead on Grimlock's orders. Out of all of them, only Optimus was missing. Tessa immediately took off to find him, leaving Cade and Mary to tend to the egg – with Brains' help, that is.


	20. Chapter 20

Powertron stood up, energon dripping from his jaw. That was the last of the energon from this weak-willed fool. Bracken had made a terrible mistake, rebelling against him like that. That, however, was yesterday. Boundaries were closed. Besides, he had something important he needed to do.

"All Decepticons report to the Van Andel Arena!"

So saying, he sprang upon the building, watching as his followers – human and Decepticon, gathered around the Arena, wondering what was about to happen.

"My friends," Powertron began, "today we have lost a courageous lieutenant. You knew Upshift as a guardian, but I saw him as someone so loyal he would never betray me. Alas, his passing is very grim for us, and a bitter pill to swallow.

"But enough of that! Today, we have someone else to debunk from the lowlife. Fireball came to us for the sole reason of abandoning his pathetic allies. He saw us as the only real attempt at a just universe. Fireball, would you come here, if you will? There's something I have for you."

The Decepticon strode forward, his orange eyes glistening. Powertron placed his hand on Fireball's head. "Fireball," he said, "I now grant you the position of lieutenant."

"Thank you, my lord. You will not be disappointed," Fireball murmured.

"I better not be," Powertron hissed. He raised his voice. "That will be all."

As the crowd disbanded, he strode across the bridge, pausing to stare at the dark water within. He gazed at his reflection, examining every detail of his magnificent body. Then – he jumped, startled. He thought he'd seen a hand moving within the water. But it couldn't be possible! No Autobot could survive – unless... no. No. It _was_ impossible. Nobody could survive being trashed in water. Nobody.

Powertron chuckled nervously, but before he could hurry off the bridge, he gave a shriek. Two glowing blue eyes had appeared under the water, and as they came closer to him a hand suddenly burst out at him, clawing for a grip. Powertron collapsed on the bridge, screaming.

"Are you all right, my lord? Come on, snap out of it!" he heard Rundown say.

Powertron stopped screaming, panting. He saw Rundown standing next to him, and stood up, wiping his brow. The eyes and hand had been a vision... or had it?

"Rundown, I need you to scan the bottom of this river," he said. "I thought I saw something suspicious."

"Of course, my lord," Rundown said. "But are you all right?"

Hesitantly, Powertron nodded. "I think so," he said. But he actually didn't think so. What had he seen beneath that murky surface? Nervously, he shook his head. His eyes were playing tricks on him. Had to be. They had to be playing tricks on him. He took one last glance down at the water, and the hurried off the bridge, running from it as fast as he could go. His mind was racing within.

As he ran off, Rundown watched him go. "He runs like he fears something," he said to himself. He knew what was happening. Powertron may have control of his empire and his army, but he was losing control of his mind.

* * *

Clouds had covered the sun, and a pale wind blew through the trees. Most of the Autobots were relaxing with the Dinobots, having a little fun; Cade and Brains (and the egg) were among them, leaving Mary in charge of the camp. When Tessa stomped into the camp and sat down on a log, she took notice of her attitude.

"What has you upset?" she questioned.

"That massively stupid imbecile known as Optimus Prime!" Tessa responded angrily, crossing her arms. "He should never have returned from space!"

A confused look came over the junior's face. "What makes you say that?" she asked, turning away from her work. "He hasn't done anything wrong, has he?"

Tessa shot a malicious glare at her. "How would you know?" she asked, scorn in her voice ringing through the dry air. "Then again, it doesn't matter. It's time you knew."

"Knew what?" Mary asked, now setting her eyes on the teenager.

Glancing backwards, Tessa said, "He doesn't want us to win. He doesn't want to win because he knows he is guilty of sending his own kind to die. With every battle he deliberately kills off his own kind. He is too filled with pride to care, and now he's afraid he'll be found out." She leaned back. "Frankly, he should just go toss himself in Lake Michigan for all we care. He doesn't deserve to be the leader of the Autobots, and he should know that! I just spent the last couple minutes telling him that."

Before she could add another sentence Mary hit her with a rock. "What was that for?" Tessa protested, recoiling from the blow.

"_You're_ the massively stupid imbecile, Tessa Yeager!" Mary shot at her, standing up, a look of rage on her face. "I don't believe you! Are you deliberately trying to verbally berate a fearless, courageous, and noble leader? Because it sure as hell sounds like it!"

Tessa shook her head no. "I'm just telling you the truth," she insisted. "All these facts are true."

"That's the biggest bunch of bullshit I've ever heard coming from your mouth!" Mary retorted. "It is _not_ his fault innocents are dying at Brono's hands!"

"Yes it is!" Tessa insisted. "I'm being serious!"

"So am I!" the junior shot at her. "Leave him alone! He should not be the focus of your rage." When Tessa didn't answer, she said, now calmed down, "The focus of your rage is only on one, and that one is Brono. Do not focus your rage on your allies. They may abandon you, as I have learned."

Tessa's face turned a strange hue of red. "Just what are you saying?" she thundered. "Are you trying to steal them away from me?"

"No – only you're trying to do that," Mary responded. She turned around and began walking in the direction Tessa had come from.

"Come here!" Tessa shouted after her. "Come here now!"

But she did not come. Tessa slumped back on the log, head buried in her hands. "She'll never learn," she grumbled. "Never. They're _mine_ and _mine alone._"

The junior sprinted through the trees to come out at the rocky shoreline. Standing there, at a foot's distance from the water's edge, was Optimus Prime. His face was solemn, stern and icy cold. His eyes were no longer calm and bright, but stormy and deeply pained. He stared out at the clouds over the gray lake, appearing motionless and emotionless in the mass of gloom. He appeared sad amongst the happiness of the greenery. He was deeply hurt, emotionally hurt.

As the cold wind blew, he spoke simple words with a voice more sorrowful than that of John Coffey in _The Green Mile_. "Is there no end to your anger, Tessa?" he said. "Leave me in peace, that I may suffer alone."

"It's not Tessa who stands here," the soft female voice said, the owner coming up behind him. "Tessa is back at the camp, as are the others."

It took a minute for the Autobot to realize who was speaking to him. "What brings you looking for me?" he asked, adjusting his gaze to the junior's jade green eyes. "You should not be out here."

"Tessa," Mary said simply. "But not what she did to me. It's what she did to _you_."

"To _me_?" There was slight confusion in his voice as he turned around to face her. "What do you mean by that?" Then it occurred to him. "Do you know about it?"

Telling the truth would most likely be painful, but it had to be told. "She's verbally berated you," she said, trying to sound soothing. "Told me theories that weren't true –"

"How do you stand her harsh words?" Optimus interrupted. "How is it that you do so?" His voice had gone from sorrowful to desperate, and his eyes had gone from stormy to scared. "Can you tell me?"

"Why is it that you want to know?" Mary asked. "You sound nothing like you normally do. What happened?"

The Autobot was very hesitant to reveal his reason. "It isn't just you who has taken her verbal abuse," he said. "_I_ am on the receiving end as well."

Mary felt a bout of shock. "Tessa was doing the same thing to _you_?" she said. "For what reason would she do this? You've done nothing wrong!"

Optimus turned and walked down the shoreline for about a yard. "Ever since Jigsaw gave himself up to save me, Tessa has targeted me as well as you. Over these past few days, she has cornered me on my own, constantly told me that _I_ was the one responsible for Jigsaw's death, and she has also said that if I'd never returned to this planet, none of this would have happened.

"Just a few nights ago, however, she has unleashed her full rage on me," he continued, walking back. "She showed up on the night after Mentor's death, and she told me that it was _my_ fault my descendant had died. She said that I had disobeyed Primus in protecting Mentor, and that because I had deliberately allowed two Autobots to die, I wasn't fit to lead them, that I should step down and give either Megatron or Unicron the position. Now, with Bracken's death, she said..." he faltered, heaved a deep breath, and dropped a bombshell. "She has told me to go kill myself."

A gasp escaped the junior. "Go _what_?!" she cried, shocked. "You're joking!"

"I am not," Optimus said sadly. "_That_ is why I would like to know. I cannot take much more of this. I am afraid. I am afraid that I am losing control of myself, losing control of my mind. How do you stand her harsh words so well?"

"To be truthful, I know it looks like I stand it, but within me, those words are chewing at me," Mary admitted, her voice becoming strangely relaxing and melodious. "I took up a number of hobbies to deal with the harsh words I receive in school; but when that didn't work what I started doing was fighting back. I didn't let the words stop me. I kept going, trying to prove myself that I wasn't what they thought I was."

"But if you do this sort of thing how are you supposed to stand it?" Optimus asked. "All is does is ooze hatred from those who hate you!"

"If you let it, you do," Mary said. "By doing what she's doing, Tessa is exerting control over you. If you keep listening to what she's saying, you _will_ be falling under her control, losing yourself within. You have to remember that although she may be berating you, all she's doing is throwing constant words that aren't true at you. You are worth a lot more than any human being on this planet. You are worth more than anyone on this planet, even the other Autobots. To have you here is to have a symbol of strength, hope, and courage. That's _exactly_ what you are: strength, hope, courage... the will to keep going. The Autobots look up to you. Even _I_ look up to you. You deserve to lead them. It's just the way you are."

The gloom seemed to fade from Optimus as he considered the words hanging in the air. The dullness left his eyes, leaving them stern yet bright. "Only words," he murmured. "You speak what is impressive and true." A smile formed on his face; as it did the clouds parted to reveal the sun. "Jigsaw would have said the same thing if he were here now. He was not as blind as the others believed he was." He sighed. "Many of my kind are dead, as are thousands of yours. How many more must be sacrificed before this war dies out? Primus must contain the answers; why does he refuse to answer our pleas?"

"Maybe he's waiting for just the right moment to do so," Mary suggested. "Human losses are a fact of life. We just don't realize it. We're always jumping to a conclusion that it was someone else's fault –"

"– When it is actually your own fault it happened," the Autobot leader finished the sentence. "My kind has been in hiding for almost two years, blamed for the loss of four-hundred _thousand_ lives. If they had acted, tried to save themselves... perhaps the death toll would not have been so high." He shifted his gaze to the water. "Human technology threatens its own race, its own creators. How? By its usage against all human lives – is that not correct?"

"True," the junior agreed. "Our own technology has destroyed millions of lives, both human _and_ mechanical. If something doesn't change, sooner or later we'll all be dead."

"Let hope prevail that day will not come."

The two fell silent, watching and listening to the cool gray waves rushing upon the sandy shore.


	21. Chapter 21

The capital, however, was in a panic. Nobody could locate the Autobots, and time was running out. The time had come to put in a call to KSI, the single company designed to create artificial Transformers.

"Well, Mr. Costra, I'm sure we can fulfill your request," KSI CEO Joshua Joyce said into the receiver. "Yes, yes, Mr. Costra, you need not worry any more. We'll take care of it. Just remember to pay up."

He hung up, turning to his assistant. "Go wake the Artificials," he instructed. "Ket them know they're to have a visitor – i.e. me. I have a task for them."

As the assistant hurried away, Joshua looked out a nearby window, gazing at the city lights of Hong Kong. He felt a smug little smile open on his face as he stared outside. Now was his chance, his chance to prove that the Artificials could do what the Autobots could not. He chuckled to himself, adjusting his glasses. Then, tearing himself away from the skyscrapers outside, he made his way down to the chamber housing the five Artificials.

The assistant came up to him as he neared the compound. "The Artificials are awake," the assistant said. "They're waiting for you, sir."

Without a word Joshua pushed past the assistant and strode boldly into the compound. The moment the door shut, the lights turned on, revealing three standing Artificials and one sleeping Artificial. The last Artificial there was kneeling at the sleeper's side.

Annoyed, Joshua asked bluntly, "Hasn't Woody woken up yet?"

"No sir, not yet," the kneeler responded. "I'll inform him of your instructions when he does."

"You do that then, Bone," Joshua said, groaning beneath his breath.

"So what can we do for ya, boss? Some idiot need a lesson?" the biggest stander asked.

"I'm coming to that, Gridlock, so be patient," Joshua said, stepping forward. "I just received a call from the United States government. They have a Decepticon threat in the state of Michigan, and the Autobots won't help them. You know what this means, right?"

The looks on the Artificials' faces became those of shock. "You mean – they're asking for _us_ to save the day!?" a crowned Artificial cried.

"Exactly that, Chill," Joshua said, clasping his hands together.

Chill went crazy. "Did you hear that, Jawdrop? They want us to save them!" he cried joyfully. "They want _us_ to save _them!_"

The three Artificials started jumping around in a celebratory move. Only Bone and the sleeper didn't celebrate. Bone was dead nervous about the whole thing – and for good reason. He'd heard how one Autobot sliced an Artificial in half with just one swish of a sword, and he didn't want to face that fate.

"Sir," he said cautiously, watching Joshua's bald head swivel to face him, "are you sure about this? I mean – do you remember River? He was cut in half by an Autobot! What if they find us first?"

"Oh don't panic, Bone, you won't run into them," Joshua reassured. "They're nowhere _near_ the site of the Decepticon threat. You won't run into them at all." Addressing the whole group he said, "Be on the move, you lot! The threat won't come to you!"

"Roger that, boss!" Gridlock said, snapping a salute.

Satisfied, Joshua left the room. The moment he was gone the exit door to the compound slid open. Gridlock, Jawdrop, and Chill left the compound to stretch their limbs, leaving Bone and the sleeping Woody within. Trying hard not to show his fear, Bone quickly followed, carrying Woody on his back.

"Please let me come back alive," he said softly. "Please let us both come back from this alive."

"Come on, Bone! The people need us!" Gridlock shouted.

Reluctantly, Bone followed the three to a massive carrier. The five were hooked up to the carrier by extra-strong cables, and they lifted off the ground to travel for the long journey ahead. The entire time they traveled, including when they landed, Woody didn't wake up.

* * *

His supporters were clamoring for an explanation. Powertron had none to give. He was scared now, dreadfully scared. The Autobots had Unicron on their side. Now they had the Newborn Sparks – and they had taken them right out under his bloody nose! How could he have been so blind? How could he?

"My lord," he heard Fireball say. "My lord, are you all right?"

Powertron shook his head no. "I'm nervous, Fireball, nervous," he said, looking at the lieutenant. "In just a few days so much has happened. We lost something we never even knew we had. The people demand answers for all my actions. I thought I saw something move in the river. I don't know how to answer! What am I going to do, Fireball? I think I'm losing my mind!"

"My lord, if I may suggest," Fireball said calmly. "The people do not realize none of this was known to us. Mistakes are inevitable. If you like, I will explain to them this."

"Please do so," Powertron said glumly. "When you finish, please return. I don't – I just don't want to be alone right now."

"Of course, my lord. As you wish," Fireball said, vanishing out of sight.

Powertron turned away to look at his flourishing city and army. He _was_ nervous, but not from that constant craving for an explanation or the Autobot threat. He was worried about what he had seen in the river. He couldn't trust anyone at all – or, at least, any outsiders. The river was host to several dead Transformers; but was it possible that one was still alive? It couldn't be...

"My lord?" the voice of Rundown entered his mind. "You ordered me to scan the bottom of the river?"

"Yes, Rundown, yes, yes," Powertron said quickly. "What of it?"

"I found no sign of life on the bottom," Rundown said. "You can relax. Oh – and one more thing... there is a rumor about."

"A _rumor?_"

"Yes," Rundown said. "The rumor is that the company KSI has sent five fakes to combat us. The fakes have allegedly landed several miles from here, near the town of Clare."

A smile finally appeared on Powertron's face. "Good. Some action... and some new blood," he said. "Let them come. We shall see if they last against us."

The Decepticon leader stood up and flexed his muscles. Strong they were from all of the energon and blood he had devoured. In all glory, nobody was stronger than he was. Just about nobody.

"Let them come," he repeated. "Yes, let them come. They will stand no chance against us. Let them come. Tell the others to prepare for battle. We will finish them with ease."

* * *

"I should have known!" Megatron grumbled. "KSI _again_?! When will they learn not to mess with our affairs?!"

"Probably never," Bumblebee groaned. "They must have used the remainder of Ratchet's DNA to make their fakes more like us. Then again, it could be that green substance. I don't really know."

Grimlock barked orders to his fellow Dinobots, who spread out in different directions. He followed close behind, leaving the baffled Autobots in his wake.

Crosshairs, looking up from the egg, asked, "Where's he going? He's not running off, is he?"

"No," Optimus said, slipping out of the brush. "He's searching for the Artificials in order to warn them about the strength of Powertron."

"I'm sorry to pry," Bumblebee interrupted, "but where were you?"

"He was discussing strategy with me," Unicron said, coming up beside the Autobot. "Where are the Yeagers and the Runner girl? Are they around?"

Brains was the one who answered. "They're over here with me!" he called out. "We're over by the tree line, working on something extremely important!"

"What are you doing, man?" Drift asked, noticing the four and a small table made out of a rock. The table was covered in papers that held measurements, one of these the drone was holding.

"What's it look like, Drift?" Brains responded, passing another measurement to Cade. "We're attempting to find out Brono's weak point. During that last battle we noticed an odd mixture lying in the streets. Thinking it could be useful later, I took a sample of it. These measurements are test results – which I'll tell you now. The mixture is a concentration of – wait a moment, that's the wrong sheet..." he rifled around on the rock, murmuring to himself, until he found the sheet he wanted. "AHA! It's 70% energon, 30% human DNA – or blood."

Most of the Autobots winced upon hearing this. "But – but isn't that a dangerous cocktail?" Hound asked.

The little drone nodded. "Very dangerous, Hound. _Very_ dangerous, and _very_ potent."

"OMIGO –" Hound yelled, springing to his feet. He was so shocked he nearly felled Megatron, who was standing right behind him. "Sorry," he rapidly apologized. "Holy crap, dude!"

"What's up with you?" Crosshairs asked. "Never saw you react like _that_ before."

"Crosshairs, guys, don't you know what that _does_?!" Hound shouted. "Blood makes us even more vulnerable! It's downright terrible!"

"Well, that's life," Brains said, returning to his work. "But that's not all I've done," he added, shooting a glance towards the humans. "How we doing over there? Found anything yet?"

"Not yet, Brains," Mary responded, looking up briefly. "Look - I'll keep an eye on the egg and let these guys do the work."

"Just what are we even doing anyway?" Tessa asked, sitting there ignorant. "We're supposed to be taking care of this crummy egg that we lost Bracken to save!"

Cade looked at his daughter, a strange and sudden fierceness in his eyes. "We're looking for some answers on the qualities of blood," he said. "Brains had a couple questions he wanted answered."

"Like what?" Tessa scoffed. "It's not his business to know about our DNA."

"Like what happens when you burn it, you moron," Brains retorted. "Because if Powertron is ingesting human blood, he's ingesting his own demise."

Drift snapped his fingers. "I see what he wishes to know," he said. "To burn the blood is to destroy him from within. Exceptionally wise thinking of you, Brains."

A roar came from behind them, a good distance away, and close after it – a scream of fright. One of the Dinobots had found someone – possibly an Artificial. Bumblebee and Hound leapt out of sight, hurrying to the aid of the Dinobots. A minute after they left, Megatron followed them, leaving the rest at the camp.

* * *

Grimlock and the other Dinobots had surrounded two Artificials – one of which was limp on the other's back. He looked up when he saw the three arriving and grunted, "Found two fakes."

"Good work, you lot," Hound said, pulling out a gun. "Where are they? I'll blast their heads off."

Bumblebee shook his head no. "You'll do no such thing, Hound, unless you want KSI after us again," he said firmly. "Where are they, Grimlock?"

The Triceratops moved backwards, revealing two Artificials in the middle. One of them had a bone tattooed across his right cheek. He was holding a second, supposedly sleeping Artificial, with a look of both horror and panic upon his face.

"What's your identification, kid?" Megatron asked.

"Bone, sir," the Artificial stammered. "My comrade – he's not waking up!"

"Let me see him," Bumblebee said, gingerly taking the sleeper's hand. He held it for a few minutes, and then felt the neck. "Your comrade's okay. He's just sleep deprived," he said. "How late was he up?"

"Five days straight," Bone said. "KSI had him guard for five days straight with no breaks. He collapsed the day we were sent to combat the threat, and he's been sleeping for almost three days now – it took two to fly over here."

Grimlock growled a couple orders to Slug and Strafe. Strafe took the sleeper and placed him on Slug's back. The two then headed off, traveling back to camp, while Grimlock and Scorn spread out again. Bumblebee put one hand on Bone's back. "Come on, mate," he said. "You're coming with us. There's no bloody way we're letting you go combat Powertron without some serious backup. That dude has a leak in his attic a mile wide!"


	22. Chapter 22

Just outside of Grand Rapids, the three remaining Artificials prepared for battle. They were lean, mean, and looking for a fight. Pray tell that those Decepticons were ready for one too.

"All right, comrades," Gridlock said softly. "The humans' terror ends today. It all ends today. Once we go in we don't leave until they're dead or we're dead."

"On your call, Gridlock," Jawdrop sneered evilly. "We'll make mincemeat out of them!"

Recklessly, the three surged forward into the city, coming face-to-face with three Decepticons. The Artificials immediately attacked the Decepticons, swinging abruptly into battle. But the Decepticons were ready for this. They had known about the coming of the Artificials, and they wanted to prove a very specific point.

For a while it looked like the Artificials had the upper hand. But then, as Jawdrop pinned one to the ground, the Decepticon let out a mean, ear-piercing whistle. Suddenly a number of Decepticons came lurching out of the city, mean looks on their faces and a hunger in their eyes. Grinning wickedly, they seized the three Artificials and pinned them to the ground, twisting their arms brutally. Jawdrop struggled against his captors before a snapping sound alerted him to the fact that his arm had been broken, and he reluctantly lay back down on the ground, wincing with every jerky movement.

The Decepticons practically dragged the Artificials to the center of the city. Powertron was waiting for them, his spike out and ready for a kill. His eyes had the same hunger, his voice the same poisonous tone. He looked at the three Artificials, and quickly deduced in his head that Gridlock was the leader.

"Set their leader before me," he said, temporarily sheathing the spike.

With a great effort, the Decepticons hurled Gridlock to the ground, down onto his knees. "I order you to release us!" he growled. "I order you in the name of KSI and the CIA!"

Powertron snickered, circling around his victim with a kind of chastised gate. "Oh, it won't be so easy to bargain your release," he said. "There's something I'm hoping you can tell me."

"Shove it up your ass!" Gridlock retorted. "I'm not telling you shi –"

"But you _will_; if you want to stay alive you will," Powertron said, his voice as pernicious as the voice of Voldemort. "The information is simple, and you'd be free – easily free! – if you cooperate with me."

Gridlock didn't answer, thinking about his options. Chill, however, asked Powertron nervously, "What – what do you want from us?"

"Say nothing!" Gridlock snapped.

Too late. Powertron had heard the question. His full attention fell on Chill, who shrank back against the one holding him captive. "Nothing but information," he answered. "And if I can't have it from this tin can, perhaps _you_ would be willing to tell me."

Chill shivered, whimpering a little.

Powertron turned back to Gridlock, who had his gaze focused on the ground. "Leave them alone," Gridlock growled. "Your focus is not on them. Your focus is on me."

"That's what you believe," Powertron said, walking around to Gridlock's other side. "But maybe I'd like to have you believe that. Who knows what I'm planning to do with you." He reached out and slapped Gridlock across the cheek. "Tell me – just who deployed you to deal with me?"

"You'll never know!" Gridlock spat. "Never!" He was panting hard, venting his frustration on the being before him. "That information is classified! Strictly private!"

"Oh, I doubt that'll be true for long," Powertron said, taking ahold of the Artificial's right arm.

The Decepticon holding Chill turned him away. "You might not want to look right now, buddy," he stated. "I know that look. When Powertron wants something and the guy who has it refuses to give it to him, bad stuff happens."

Chill obeyed, burying his head from sight. Ten seconds afterward, a scream and a cracking noise broke the dying silence.

* * *

The two Artificials had been brought to the Autobot camp in Ludington. The sleeper – Woody – was lying against the thick body of the Triceratops. Bone himself had been separated and questioned thoroughly by the three leaders (Grimlock was still out searching); now, of course, he was at his companion's side, waiting for him to wake up. The other Autobots were play fighting – practicing their best moves. Brains and the girls were still searching for information on the qualities of blood – which had fallen to Cade as Tessa was uninterested – while caring for the egg at the same time – this job had fallen to Mary.

"Hey Brains – I think I have something," Cade said, pulling up an article. "Check this out." He passed the article to the drone, who studied it with wide eyes and a magnifying glass over one of them. He began murmuring to himself, reading the article with a steady focus.

Tearing himself away, he said, "This is great! Blood _can_ burn, but only if it has a flammable substance within! And – yes, energon is flammable, so it'll burn easily! Wonderful work, Cade!" He turned back to the table and peered at another tube. "Where's that Bone character? I'd like to ask his permission to do something."

"He's over here," Drift said. The three turned to see him alongside the Artificials. Bone stood back a ways from his companion, allowing the tactician to examine the sleeping Woody. "What is it you want to ask?" Drift added.

Brains stood up, gathering his materials. "Bone, what makes up that strange green substance flowing through your veins?" he asked. "I'd like to know, mainly because if your comrades are killed, Brono will most likely drink it. If he drinks it, he may make himself more vulnerable."

Bone, understanding fully what Brains was after, said, "I was told it's a mixture of the elements magnesium, titanium, zirconium, potassium, sodium, and I think hydrogen. I'm not entirely certain; Joyce kept it a secret."

"Could I take a sample of it? Just to test?" Brains asked.

Uneasily, the Artificial nodded, freeing a vein from his ankle. The little drone walked close and paused, carefully making a slit in the vein and collecting the substance within using a test tube. "Good lad," he said. "You've done a good thing, aiding me in my research."

"Are you two done yet?" Tessa's voice snapped angrily. "I'm sick of caring for this stupid egg!"

"Tessa, please relax! I just finished here, and Mary's taking care of it now!" Cade said, jumping off the rock.

"Do relax, Tessa, please," Crosshairs said, showing out of the woodland with Bumblebee close behind him. "You have us all on edge right now – and it's not just from Brono!"

"Hell I'm on edge too! We've a sadistic, power-hungry, blood feasting megalomaniac on the loose, and you're telling me to calm down?!" Tessa yelled, waving her arms around wildly, narrowly avoiding the egg. "I will _never_ understand you people!"

"Careful!" Drift said, noticing this action and scooping up the egg. "We cannot damage it!"

"Just why the hell is that?" Tessa sneered, planting her hands on her hips.

"Within are my brother's direct descendants," Unicron said, coming from another angle. "If anything happens to them before the egg cracks, my brother will kill me, and you all are at risk from the wrath of my brother." Noticing Brains holding a test tube of green liquid, he added, "What _are_ you doing, man?"

"Finding out what this substance is made up of," Brains answered, setting the tube in some sort of Bunsen burner. "I stole most of this stuff from KSI the day I was broken out," he added, gesturing to the burner.

For a couple minutes, the only sound was the liquid bubbling in the tube, along with that of the Bunsen burner. Then – Woody began to stir. Bone was quickly at his side, explaining what was happening and where they were. Tramping feet signaled the return of the other Dinobots.

"Any luck?" Mary asked.

Strafe shook his head no. Scorn grumbled, "Nothing. All gone to Grand. Bad idea."

"Drat. At least you tried," Crosshairs said, stroking the Spinosaurus on the side of the head. "At least you guys tried to help them. They'll just have to learn the hard way."

A shriek came from the depths of Brains' throat. "Holy octane!" he cried. "Listen to this! The substance is made up of the following element percentages: 15% magnesium, 10% titanium, 45% potassium, 5% zirconium, 20% sodium, and 5% hydrogen! One of the most lethal chemical combinations I've ever heard of!"

"Shut up!" Bumblebee spat, shocked. "You're pulling our legs!"

"I am _not_ kidding right now!" Brains said. "If you don't believe me, see for yourself!" he held up a sheet with the numbers.

The Transformers took one look at the sheet and reeled harshly backwards. The figures didn't lie. 100% of the elements used in the green substance were flammable, combustible, and extremely explosive. The two Artificials were deathly shocked. Apparently they had had no clue what was flowing through their veins.

"This is a fascinating yet disturbing fact you have given us," Unicron said, backing a little ways away from the chemical mixture. "To think that's flowing through Brono even as we speak!"

"I know! I know!" the drone screeched. "Believe me, I know what you're talking about!"

"It works to our advantage," Megatron said, appearing behind Unicron. "My guess is that he may take the substance into his bloodstream. If he does, we just need to set him alight."

A violent exclamation interrupted the conversation. Before anyone knew it, the other Autobots joined them, shouting an order to circle up – Artificials within. The crew rapidly complied, unsheathing weapons and aiming cannons. The threat was soon made clear: the army had found them again. At the bank, Clunk growled, opening his maw and joining his mates. He hissed, his green eyes being covered with the thin filament.

From one side came trucks, tanks, and a heck of a lot of soldiers. From the air came helicopters with more soldiers. All these soldiers were armed, guns pointed at the Autobots and humans. The tanks had their cannons trained on them too. From the middle of the tanks and trucks, someone with a bullhorn yelled, "Step away from the Artificials right now! Don't make us open fire!"

"For what reason, meathead!?" Hound spat, taking aim at a tank. "You have nothin' to do wi' us, mother–"

Before he could finish Brains elbowed him in the side. "Shut up, you moron!" he hissed. "Do you want to be shot? Once one of us goes down we're never standing up again!"

"I said step away from the Artificials _right now_!" the same soldier yelled. "DO NOT make us shoot!"

Strong determination flashed in Drift's eyes as he spoke. "You must give us your reason before we can do what you are requesting, do you not realize that?"

"KSI sent the Artificials to take out the Decepticon threat, seeing as you refuse to help us!" a different officer shouted. "Now let them go!"

The word 'KSI' only infuriated the Autobots. "Since when has there been a right to create duplicates of us?!" Crosshairs spat. Beside him, Scorn snarled, baring his sharp metal teeth.

"Just let them go!" the officer yelled. "Just let them go right now!" He was growing madder by the minute.

"And let them die?" Grimlock growled. "Refuse to obey!"

"What the hell was _that_?!" the officer yelled, baffled. "What is that hunk of metal trying to tell us?!"

"You send them to combat the Decepticons you send them to die!" Hound shouted back. "I thought you'd know that, you stupid old coot! Or in the very least, _realize_ it!"

His remarks gave him another elbow from Brains. "Hound, shut – up! Remember what I said!" the drone hissed again.

"They have not been harmed in any way by us," Unicron said calmly. "They are both unhurt and healthy. We have not done anything to them; if any were to die it would be at Brono's hand."

"How do we believe _that_?!" the officer screeched. "Prove it to us!"

Unicron stepped aside, allowing the two Artificials to peer out at the army nervously. "Is he here?" Bone asked. "I can't see well enough to tell – YIPE!"

A mediocre, smug voice made the two spring back into the circle. "Bone! Woody! What are you doing with those guys? Come on now; you have a mission to do. Leave those silly Autobots to die, and come on with us."

The Autobots knew this voice well. It belonged to KSI CEO Joshua Joyce. He was trying to be nice, but he was actually just being smarmy. The three humans also knew the voice – Cade and Tessa from a previous encounter, Mary from international reports (her father invested in KSI).

"I don't believe it," Tessa groaned. "This guy _again? Really!?_"

"Remind me why my dad invested in that stupid company with that stupid CEO," Mary added, slapping her forehead. "The egg's still here, right?"

Cade nodded. "It's on that rock," he said, pointing to it. "You have the horn?"

"No; just my Swiss Army knife" the junior answered, holding it up. " I think you might have it. Here's hoping _this_ idiot doesn't try something stupid."

"Knowing him, he will," Bone whispered. "I don't want to go back to that cursed company."

Joshua, meantime, was still talking. "Bone, Woody, don't disappoint me now," he was saying. "This is your destiny. This is what you were made to do! Don't side with those lousy Autobots. They won't help us out! They'll only destroy us!"

Woody suddenly pushed forward, coming out from the tight-knit group. "That's a bunch of nonsense!" he declared. "How dare you call the Autobots lousy! Do you know how many times they've saved the necks of the human race? This – this is my kind you're talking about here, you meathead!"

Joshua was shocked to hear this. "What are you saying?" he said, mouth hanging open like a fish. "Surely you don't mean that, Woody!"

"_That_ is _not_ my name," the Artificial stated. "My name is _Jigsaw_."

Then, before their very eyes, the Artificial's shape began to shift. The pointed face turned blunt, with a puzzle piece battle scar just barely upon his cheek. The brown armor shuddered and flushed silver. In the chest, a gory, shredded, drill-like hole appeared, followed by an Autobot symbol. Twin guns appeared at the hips. The spark glittered blue in the sunlight.

Before them stood the fallen Autobot Jigsaw, alive and well.


	23. Chapter 23

_"COMRADE!"_ Drift yelled, surging out of the circle to give his old mate a bro-hug. "I don't believe it! _I don't believe it!_ How are you alive!? _How are you alive?!_"

Jigsaw chuckled. "Count it to the will of Primus and the fact that Brono missed my spark entirely. I will explain more later; right now we have business to take care of." He turned back to the human army. "Do you see this?" he asked, pointing to his wound. "Brono did this to me, and he'll do it to the Artificials. Hell, he's done it to three out of the five that you had. This guy right here is the only one left out of all of them. Consider the options. Let us take him on. It's not worth your involvement, mainly because your intervention will only add to the losses you have already sustained."

"But – but where's Woody?" Joshua asked, shocked. "Where's Woody!? What did you do with him?!"

"I killed him myself several days ago," Jigsaw explained. "It was necessary if I was going to pull this off. Now leave us alone. We'll take care of Brono. We don't want any more human casualties under our belt."

Reluctantly, the army left, Joshua Joyce wringing his hands in shame. When the last of the cavalry was out of sight, Jigsaw was immediately tackled by some of the Transformers. Wrestling free from the pig pile, he saw Optimus staring at him.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

There was joy in the Autobot leader's voice as he spoke. "I knew you would return. I just knew you would," he said, happiness dancing in his eyes. "You ready, lieutenant?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Jigsaw said. "Man, it's good to be back with you guys again."

He felt Mary grasp him around the leg. "How you been, kid?" he asked. "Long time no see. Destroy any Decepticons in my name, did you?" He laughed. "You can relax now. I'm back from the dead - and back for good."

She didn't answer. There was no need to speak. Feelings were strong enough that they didn't need to speak.

"What have I missed?" Jigsaw asked, directing his attention to the Autobots. "Tell me everything!"

The Autobots quickly filled him in on what was happening, what had happened, and what could happen. When they finished, Jigsaw explained how he survived.

"I watched Unicron leave; then I don't remember anything from that area. Next thing I knew I was up in the sky, watching you guys struggle. I begged to go back," he said. "Primus was kind enough to send me back to Earth; but when he did he sent me to Hong Kong. The reason for this was because he didn't want me anywhere near the Decepticons. So I followed his instructions to KSI, and killed the Artificial on guard and took his place. When I heard we were being sent over here, I faked my collapse into a bout of sleep, and let them bring me here. I traveled across the divide between life and death, and I am ready for anything. Let Brono attempt to kill me. He will suffer for what he did."

"What do we do now?" Cade asked when Jigsaw had finished.

"You want to know what we do now?" Hound said. "I'll tell you what we do now. We destroy Brono! _That's_ what we do!"

Brains nodded. "We can do this!" he cheered. "We _can do_ this!" then he stopped. "Hey, wait a minute – where's the egg gone?"

The group looked around rapidly. Where was it? Then they spotted Tessa standing next to a rock. She, unfortunately, was holding the egg. Nervous looks came over their faces when they saw this scene.

"Tessa, what are you doing?" Cade asked, taking one careful step towards his daughter.

Tessa said, breathing heavily, "What's it look like I'm doing? This thing is useless. If you're not going to take care of it, then what's the point of having it around?" She paused, a wild look in her eyes. "So I'm destroying it. Permanently."

"No!" Unicron said suddenly. "You will not! Unless you want to anger my brother to the point of him killing us, you'll not do it while I am here! I am charged with protecting that egg!"

"Put the egg down, Tessa!" Optimus ordered.

But Tessa shook her head no. She raised the egg high – and in the fraction of a second it took everyone to blink, before they had time to move, she brought it down upon the rock. The egg, upon hitting the rock, fractured in two, and the two little bodies flew out towards the ground.

Drift and Bumblebee moved in quickly, catching a different body and cradling it in their palms. The other Autobots, humans, and Dinobots crowded around, examining the two Newborn Sparks. The one Drift was holding had a face the color of shiny, hard silver, and the eyes, shut they may be, were a beautiful yet ferocious orange. The one in Bumblebee's hand had a face with a dull, light gray metallic color – like Primus – and its eyes, closed they may be, were a beautiful, soothing blue. Everyone was so surprised at the two little darlings that they couldn't help but gasp in awe.

"A sure sign that they are of Primus' descent!" Megatron said, his rough voice soft and gentle. "Brought to us across the planetary and godly divide, across oceans of time to come when we need it most - sorry if I'm turning philosophical - but still!"

Grimlock crooned, his processors vibrating in his throat. The other Dinobots followed suite, making the same noise as their leader. It was almost as if they were singing in a way.

"Now would you look at that?" Hound said. "It's a blooming miracle they weren't damaged from that egg cracking in two! You must be so proud, Unicron!" He thumped the Decepticon on the back, slightly knocking him forward. "You must be so proud!"

"I am, Hound, I am," Unicron admitted, blushing. "My brother knew what he was doing. I wouldn't be surprised if he were proud too."

"Agreed," Drift said. "They are precious lives."

As he said this, the two little bodies opened their eyes. The orange-eyed one looked around rapidly, twitching with every motion; the blue-eyed one was calmer and looked around much more smoothly than his counterpart. The orange-eyed one fought to hide itself from the bigger beings; the blue-eyed one slowly, smoothly, curiously looked around at all of them, taking them in with wide eyes. It was clear that the Sparks were different in many ways; though they descended from the same being, they were both different.

The blue-eyed one now noticed the humans. Cautiously it moved across Bumblebee's palm, closer to the girls. It eyed each one suspiciously, studying them intensely, as if trying to decide which one it liked more. After several minutes of close deliberation, it crouched on the edge of Bumblebee's hand and leaped onto Mary's shoulder. It then looked up at Unicron, a question lingering in its eyes. The gentle giant nodded steadily, speaking to it in a different language.

"I told him that it was his choice upon which of you he chose to watch over him," he explained to the humans. "This is where you come in. The Sparks have come out of their shell. It is now your turn to protect them."

Cade smiled. "They're both so cute!" he said, watching as the second one examined him, and nervously sprang onto _his _shoulder. "And they're both your brother's descendants?"

Unicron nodded, allowing Optimus to speak. "They bring hope where there once was none," he said gently. "It is an encouraging sign, brought to our lives by Primus himself. This only proves that he exists among us - in the heavens and now upon the Earth."

Grimlock gave a low croon, followed by a sharp metallic ring that made his teeth vibrate. The orange-eyed Spark winced; the blue-eyed Spark made no motion but eyed the Tyrannosaurus carefully.

"Wow," Jigsaw said, hushed and greatly impressed. "Incredible! This is just incredible! I made it back just in time to witness this!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever, whatever, whatever. Say all you want; they're still weaklings," Tessa's snappish voice made the humans jump. The two looked back to see her standing in front of the two broken halves of the egg. "They're not going to be any help in this war; do you realize that? We might as well just finish them both off before Powertron finds them."

Nobody spoke. The silence hung in the air, dry and tense. The orange-eyed Spark growled and raised its hackles; the blue-eyed Spark, however, didn't move at all. In the face of danger, they were both different. It was strange. One seemed to show emotion greatly; the other – not so much. It was extremely strange.

"Do they have names?" Bumblebee asked.

"That my brother did not tell me," Unicron responded. "But I'm sure that if they do either he or they will let us know." His voice was trembling as he spoke, probably from happiness. Then he became serious. "We still have a problem, though. That problem – well, I think you know who I'm talking about by now."

The crooning gave way to soft growling. The two Sparks could sense the anger flowing from the Autobots, causing the orange-eyed Spark to nod and suddenly unleash a rain of spikes from upon its back. The blue-eyed Spark did nothing but stare and ponder, his eyes becoming strangely brighter, luminescent like an owl.

"We know what we have to do," Crosshairs said, looking at Jigsaw. "We have the Newborn Sparks to protect; we have our old comrade back with us; we have the Dinobots. We know what we have to do, and we have the tools to do it."

"So what are we waiting for?! Let's go kick his sorry ass out of the whole goddamn universe!" Jigsaw yelled, doing a rising fist-pump. "Now who's with me?!"

Roars and cheers flew out of everyone's mouths. For once, everyone was glad to see the anger and recklessness in his eyes. The time had come to kick Brono's sorry ass out of the United States. It was time to finish what he had started.


	24. Chapter 24

Silently, the five crept into the backlots of Grand Rapids, looking around warily for any Decepticons. The two Sparks, having not moved from the girls' shoulders, looked around warily for anything suspicious. In Tessa's hands was the horn fragment made into a cannon, along with several rounds of shot; in Mary's hands was an upgraded Swiss Army knife with a bigger blade, along with flammable bullets.

Within minutes of entering the backlots they saw people peering out at them, watching them. The men, women, and children – everyone was soon looking out at them, watching them with a mixture of horror and courage. Just seeing the five of them walking into the backlots brought them courage. Before long, a number of people came out with a mixture of knives, guns, and broken bottles of glass.

One of the men walked up to them and said these extremely simple words: "Seeing you here gives us the courage to fight back. We stand alongside the Autobots. We want our home back."

Brains responded, "Looks like we have ourselves a miniature army. Um, some brief words of advice: only go for them when they're on the ground. Don't aim for the Autobots. And also – if things grow tough, _run_. We don't want - no, we don't _need_ any more human casualties underneath our belts."

"You want it, you have it," the man said. He sprinted back to the other humans, allowing the five to move forward. Once inside the city, the five separated – Tessa taking one Spark, Mary taking the other, and Cade staying with Brains. Their job was simple: find a Decepticon, make a diversion, and punch it. If the plan went wrong, all hell would break loose, allowing the Autobots and Dinobots to attack. Unicron, however, would not be present; his brother had summoned him. To take his place, Jigsaw would battle Diehard for some badly needed payback.

Tessa and the orange-eyed Spark were immediately forced to hide in an alley, behind a dumpster; Cade and Brains were soon forced to do the same thing, leaving Mary and the blue-eyed Spark to roam Grand Rapids. The blue-eyed Spark's eyes had not stopped growing brighter; he was obviously up to something. Suddenly it squeezed the teenager's shoulder, making her dive behind a building.

Nervously, Mary watched as the Decepticon Fireball walked past, narrowly missing her. Her heart started pumping blood so fast it was going almost seventy miles per hour. The blue-eyed Spark, however, was undeterred. In its hand a small, blue-edged blade appeared, humming softly. Moving quickly, the Spark hurled the disc towards Fireball, darting just out of sight as the disc spun around and splintered into Fireball's leg, severing a massive vein and sending liquid dripping out. Strangely enough, Fireball didn't notice. He was too busy paying attention to the sky above him.

Mary took just one glimpse at the situation and seized it. She aimed cautiously from behind the building, and with just one shot, the blue-eyed Spark then set the liquid aflame. The fire shot up the energon and flowed into the vein. Mary rapidly retreated behind another building, watching as Fireball was suddenly engulfed in flames. He screamed aloud, screamed like the end of the world.

_ "Roll out!"_ the cry came from above, came from Strafe. Within mere _moments_ of Fireball's being set aflame, the Autobots and Dinobots surged into Grand Rapids, followed by the human army led by Cade and Brains. Powertron found himself in another battle – this time against both Megatron _and_ Optimus. Next to him, Jigsaw battled Diehard – who was extremely startled to see the Autobot alive.

"How are you alive?!" Diehard shouted, missing every attempt to hit Jigsaw. "I saw you be killed!"

Jigsaw flashed him a grin, engaging in some playful banter with Diehard. "You remember the day you gave me that scar? _That_ was for me, you tin-headed metalbrain!" he shot at Diehard, landing a hook kick to the Decepticon's back. Diehard hit the ground, struggling to stand back up; Jigsaw wasn't about to let this happen. He pounced on Diehard, and trapped the Decepticon in a headlock. Diehard struggled to break free; this struggling only earned him a snapped neck. In minutes he was dead. Jigsaw dumped the body, and turned to help Bumblebee out with two other Decepticons.

Megatron and Optimus had their work cut out for them. The two tackled Powertron like he was a criminal – which he was, but in a different way. Powertron suddenly heaved Megatron onto the bridge, using his spike to wound the Decepticon in the leg. Megatron yelled aloud, and made a desperate move to escape. Clunk, noticing this, slid open his maw, allowing Megatron to enter and escape. Powertron then turned back to Optimus, who still refused to speak during the fight.

Tessa scrambled to escape, the orange-eyed Spark on her shoulder, and ran into the human army, who were mutilating Diehard's body. The orange-eyed Spark released a series of tiny missiles that burrowed beneath the shell and blasted it open. A little ways away, Drift, Crosshairs, Slug, and Scorn were tackling on four Decepticons in the army – soon added by one more as Slug speared one Decepticon in the chest. The orange-eyed Spark sent missiles that way too.

"I should go and join the fight in the center!" Tessa decided, and picking up a trashcan lid to use as a shield, she took off towards the center of the city, where the main fight was now located.

"You don't deserve to live!" Powertron shot at Optimus, attempting to pin him to the ground. "You're nothing, you puny Autobot! Where are your friends now? Oh yeah – you don't have any friends! You have only enemies!"

Optimus was clearly struggling hard not to let these words hit him, but it was difficult to do so. The fear was starting to come back into his eyes. At the edge of the battle, Mary and the blue-eyed Spark watched this happen.

"He's starting to cave in!" the teenager realized. Sprinting out from where she was hiding, she yelled, _"They're just words! Courage! Fearless! Strength! The will to keep going! You are worth more than any human life! YOU – ARE – AN AUTOBOT!"_

The words seemed to restore strength to the fearless Autobot leader. He hauled himself back off the ground and flung himself into Powertron's belly head first, sending Powertron backwards. Then, rolling over, Optimus lurched forward, hurling the hilt of his sword into the side of the Decepticon leader and hurling his foot into the Decepticon's face. Powertron, grunting and groaning, scrambled backwards, snarling curse words the entire time.

Dinobot Grimlock plowed through Decepticon after Decepticon, assisting Bone in the fighting. Clashing and smashing his teeth, Grimlock cut through the crowd and joined Optimus in the middle of the city, fighting Powertron. Off to the side, the blue-eyed Spark hurled blades at Powertron, trying to break the tough armor. Mary darted in and out, jabbing at the armor with the Swiss Army knife, ripping off a chunk here and there.

Finally, overwhelmed by the many fighting against him, Powertron collapsed to the ground. Optimus swung the sword brutally down upon the Decepticon, stopping it to point at his enemy's head. "Coward among cowards!" he said sternly. "Primus will not allow you to return home with honors!"

"Shove it up your ass, Prime!" Powertron spat, unsheathing his spike. "Prepare to meet your own doom!"

The blue-eyed Spark, springing into the air, spun around and hurled a final blade towards the monstrous Decepticon. The blade rebounded, slicing into a vein in the midsection. The eyes had flashed a startling white when it had done this, grabbing the blade out of the air. Mary gave a yell, running forward with the knife out. She stopped just short of the vein, holding the knife in the air. Powertron, seeing the girl there, adjusted his position.

"Don't you _dare_ move!" Grimlock snarled, the first full sentence he had said ever since coming into contact with the Autobots. "Don't you DARE!"

Powertron didn't notice him. His attention was focused on the girl. "What satisfaction will you receive from your need to kill me?" he said, his voice steady. "Give me the Spark, and the tide will turn."

"Never," Mary said, fierceness coming out in her voice, the bandage sliding away from her forearm. Beneath the bandage, the bloody wound remained. "I'll never let him go."

"Why do you listen to the Autobots?" Powertron challenged. "Why listen to them instead of listening to me? I am the one you want to listen to! I am the one you want to follow! You don't want to fight with these guys! I am the one you want to follow! Come with me now! Turn against them!"

"You challenge me?" Mary said, anger appearing in her eyes. Something was changing within the girl, something none of the Autobots had ever seen before. The anger was giving way to a strength Powertron didn't and would never have. For all this time she had been with the Autobots, Mary had been able to keep her temper. Now, the lid on her temper was giving way to an eruption of violence. The bubble of anger had finally popped. She couldn't hold back any longer.

_ "You challenge me?"_ Mary roared, the anger giving way to erupting volcanoes in her eyes. "I'll tell you something, Brono! Everything you've ever done in my hometown has been a constant blow! With every loss, every lie, everything you dare to deny, and every single thought of murder that runs through your mind, you have destroyed this city of safety! It was a mistake you could never hide, Brono! A mistake so great you could never hide it! When you attempted to slay Jigsaw, you caused something inside of me to _snap_, and _now it's payback time, you heartless, mindless monster!_" She surged forward and slashed the vein, making the cut bigger. As she did so, the knife cut straight into his side, cutting more veins and releasing more of the mixture into Powertron's body.

Without warning Tessa and the orange-eyed spark ran around another corner with a powerful yell. "Come and take me, you bastard!" Tessa was screaming. She ran to the side of Powertron and tried to pull away a piece of armor. "You're going down no matter what we do!"

"So?" Powertron said, focusing squarely on them. "You had your chance to give them to me. Now I'm taking them by force!" He reached for the spark contained within his chest. Yanking a shard off of it, he kicked the girls back and hurled the shard at the teenagers. The teenagers had no time to react and were thrown to the cement as the shard split apart into two and burrowed under their skin. There was a clatter as one piece fell out the other side.

Following this action, Powertron shot towards them – leading Optimus to plunge the sword within his neck. As he gasped for breath, the mixture within his veins gurgling within his mouth, Optimus told him firmly, "The day you die will be your beginning of life in hell. Unicron has said your destination is to hell's furnace. I'd say his prediction has finally come true." He paused. "You were never one of us, Brono, and you never will be. You have become a sworn enemy. You are no more than a _monster_."

With these words being finished, the Spark fired a bullet into Powertron's neck. Optimus yanked the sword out of the wound as the bullet flew in; backing up, he shouted an order to Grimlock to back away, brushing his sword over the girl and Spark. Quickly, Powertron jumped to his feet – to no avail. Flames erupted from his wounds, and he began to scream in anguish as he burned. Fire erupted all over his body as he moved. He crashed to the ground, still screaming – and exploded. Bits of metal flew everywhere as the mixture within his veins caused his body to explode. Optimus and Grimlock shielded their eyes; the girl and Spark remained safe behind the sword. The explosion left the burning body in bits. Powertron was finally dead.

Above them, Strafe broadcasted the cry. "BRONO IS DEAD!" he screeched. "BRONO IS DEAD!"

The other Autobots, Dinobots and humans took up the cry. "BRONO IS DEAD! BRONO IS DEAD!"

Cheers broke out all over the city. The battle had been won. The Decepticons were now outcasts as they fled from the city, realizing that they had lost everything – the empire, the army, the Sparks, just downright _everything_. Those who were undead fighters collapsed back onto the ground and sank down within, relieved to be back within their graves.

"It's over," Optimus said firmly. "Powertron is dead at long last." He turned to look towards the girls. "Are you two all right?"

Tessa didn't answer for a moment. Then she slowly stood up. "I'm okay. I'm totally okay," she said. The Sparks jumped down to the ground, whistling urgently. Despite dying, the villain's aim had been true in both cases. While Tessa was only hit in the shoulder, Mary had been hit directly in the center of the left side of her chest. She was unresponsive, but thankfully she was alive.

"It's all over now," Jigsaw said, appearing from behind Grimlock. "I should be grateful this asshole's dead. But – hear this: you know what Powertron forgot about when he killed me?"

Those there shook their heads.

"He forgot karma's a bitch!"


	25. Chapter 25

In the end, Grand Rapids was dutifully cleaned up, with help from both the humans and the relieved Transformers. The army and the Autobots were able to cooperate and make a treaty, with the army saying they'd leave the Autobots alone if the Autobots would help them out with any Decepticon threats that might come in the future; the Autobots agreed to these conditions as long as KSI was disbanded, and that they wouldn't be involved with any human affairs. The two Newborn Sparks were living separately with the Yeagers and the Runners, though the Runners were hesitant about letting Transformers into their home. The Autobots separated and went their ways, being sure to keep in contact with the separate families to check in on the Sparks. Jigsaw took on the form of the Runner family's 2006 Acura MDX, the car that Mary Runner would soon start driving in order to let her dad have the Toyota back.

For the last time the Autobots met outside the city of Grand Rapids. Standing there, on the edge of the Grand River, they saw the efforts they had made on the city's rebuilding. A roar escalated from Grimlock's throat, followed by roars from the other Dinobots and from Clunk.

"Are you coming?" Megatron asked Unicron.

"Coming where?"

"I'm headed out with the others to - in the very least - update my form. I'm asking if you want to come along."

Unicron shook his head. "Unfortunately, I can't. I have one last chore to take care of. You guys go on ahead."

He watched them go, murmuring softly to himself, "My brother has hailed me. My time upon the Earth is over. Protect his children, as I will no longer be around. But first! First... I must go pronounce sentence upon the enemy."

He walked away from the sunset, leaving the group walking into it. Clunk slid back into the waters of the Grand, whipping his tail back and forth to power away into the murky depths.

* * *

Deep among the fiery furnaces of the hellish region known only as the Pit, the furnaces were continually filled with coal to keep it burning hot. In one of those coal piles belonging to the biggest furnace, Powertron woke up. He couldn't figure out where he was at first. Then he saw the door slam shut, and watched as the flames started to surround him again. He started screaming bloody murder, pressing against the furnace walls, trying to escape.

Outside the furnace, down upon the Earth, Unicron stared down at him. "Your destination is hell's furnace, as I have told you before," he said. "Now it is time to pay for the unspeakable crimes you have committed. You will never escape the torture you gave to others. Not while I am around. You will never know freedom from the pain you gave to others across the divide of a lust for power and the crashing down of it when everything you've done has failed. Taste failure. Taste it for a thousand years."

He watched as the gaping hole closed, leaving the burning Powertron to suffer in the Pit. He strode across the area to the last part of the helm of Powertron's head; the Dark Spark lay nearby. He picked it up, studying it carefully. Then - without warning - he heaved it into the air and cleaved it in two with a blade shooting out of the back of his wrist. The two chunks of head flew through the air and fell into the river. The head now disposed of, Unicron now turned to the Dark Spark. He picked it up and looked at it carefully, trying to think of what to do with this deadly material.

"It's best that nobody knows of this at all," he decided. "Time for this to go away. Permanently. And I know exactly where this should go."

He wound up like a baseball player and chucked it outward towards the Great Lake Michigan, allowing it to fall out of his sight. He could hear the screaming of Powertron down within the Pit, and while listening to it, he sprang into the air and glided up to the stars, completely aware of Powertron's roars.

_"I WILL RETURN!"_ Powertron wailed.

"Not unless you want to die at the hands of my brother, you won't!"


End file.
